


A Certain Light is Needed to See the Darkest Truths

by MightyMage



Series: A Certain Determination is Needed to See the Final Destination [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Disability, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I Made Another Isekai, Loneliness, M/M, NaNoWriMo 2020, Prequel Sequel, Reader-Insert, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Which is fitting as it's a man we're following this time, Worldbuilding, finding yourself, unbeta'd we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:21:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 82,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyMage/pseuds/MightyMage
Summary: “But… How exactly did you get to Galar?” She asks, tilting her head.“You really want to hear my tale? We aren’t even done with yours!” The man answers, shaking his head.“I know. But now I’m curious, how exactly did you get here? How did everyone figure out who you are? And how did you find me?” She sits up a little more, curiosity dancing in her eyes.“Well, it’s a bit of a long story, but I suppose I could get into it. Take a bit of a break from yours.” He taps his chin, considering it.“Please?” She begs, clasping her hands in front of her.“Oh fine, I’ll share my tale.”The story of how Kieran became Victor, and stole back the title of Champion of Galar. Please read A Certain Darkness Is Needed to See the Brightest Stars up to Interlude Five before reading this if you want to avoid spoilers.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Masaru | Victor, Dande | Leon/Reader, Hop (Pokemon)/Reader, Hop/Masaru | Victor, Rurina | Nessa/Yarrow | Milo
Series: A Certain Determination is Needed to See the Final Destination [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035837
Comments: 64
Kudos: 32





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for NaNoWriMo 2020. I challenged myself with writing 2k words every day of November, and this is what I ended up with. Over 80k words total. I'll be posting a chapter a day all throughout December until I've posted the final one I've written. Happy holidays, here's my present to ao3 lol.
> 
> This is completely unbeta'd. It was all worked on basically without feedback, so though I'd be happy to get it, please keep in mind it will be many chapters before I can implement it.
> 
> Please read up to [Interlude Five](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283815/chapters/60921118) of [A Certain Darkness is Needed to See the Brightest Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283815) first before reading this, otherwise you'll have no idea what's going on and get spoiled.
> 
> Please enjoy!

You’re dreaming, you must be. That’s the only way to explain this…space around you. It shifts and warps, different colours and shapes – you’re really not sure what you’re seeing. You’re floating in the middle of it all. A light begins to form in front of you, and you shield your eyes.

When it’s faded, you lower your hands to see what happened to the light. You’re surprised to see a massive beast is there now, and it takes you a moment to recognize. It’s a Pokémon. Not just any Pokémon, it’s Arceus.

“Would you like a second chance?” A voice reverberates around you, and you assume it comes from Arceus, but you aren’t sure.

“Uh, sure?” You reply, unsure what exactly he means by this.

“You have one week to prepare. Pack your bags, and tie up all lose ends in your life by the time I come back for you, as you will not be able to return to your previous life,” the Pokémon explains, and you frown, confused.

“Wait, what? What do you mean?” Suddenly, two bags appear in front of you: a backpack, and a small wheelie suitcase. They’re sort of pushed into you, and your vision is obscured by them for a moment. When you pull them down to see again, Arceus is gone. In fact, that whole weird realm is gone. You’re looking at your bedroom ceiling now.

And those bags are very real. “What the…fuck?” You croak, sitting up and turning on your light to try to understand what’s going on. Yes, the bags are still there on your lap, real as can be. Your cat looks up at you, sensing you waking up and getting up to check on you. She sniffs at the bags before meowing loudly at you. So that wasn’t a dream? You really only have a week to settle affairs in your life before… You’re not exactly sure, but you’re sure something will happen. Are you going to be taken to the Pokémon world?

You’ve always dreamt of going. Of course, you never thought it was _real_ , you just wanted an escape from the nightmare that was your own life, your own world. But now maybe you could, for real? Too weirded out to go back to sleep, you begin packing things in your bags, shocked to find you can fit a seemingly endless amount of stuff in them. You don’t have to be as picky and choosey as you initially believe.

You spend the rest of the night packing, and in the morning you begin the arduous process of trying to explain what’s going on in a way that doesn’t make you seem crazy to the people in your life. You settle for just telling people you’re moving, as you can’t explain it any other way.

You pack everything that means the most to you, as well as clothes, food, bedding, anything you can think that might be useful. The bags don’t seem to get much heavier the more you add to them, defying all forms of physics you know. Another thing you do to prepare is research everything you can about Pokémon from your own world, and begin downloading it to your phone. You’re not sure if any of it will be useful, but better safe than sorry.

A week isn’t nearly enough time to prepare, you find. You’re not ready to leave at the end of the week, but Arceus appears before you regardless. “Ready?” They ask, voice once again coming from everywhere at once.

“Uh, not really, but I get the feeling I don’t really get an extension for things like this,” you lament, sighing.

“No. You either come with me now, or remain here forever.” You thought so.

“I’m ready then, I guess. Oh! One quick question, can I bring my cat?” You hope this is a yes, though your family promised to look after her for you on the likely chance you couldn’t.

Arceus hums, thinking for a moment. “I don’t see why not. What kind of Pokémon would you like her to become? She cannot come to my world as she is now.”

You’re surprised, but thankful. “An Espeon.” It’s similar to a cat, so you hope the transition to Pokémon will be ok for her. There’s a pause, then an orb forms beside you, getting larger until it bursts open, revealing a tiny Espeon. You don’t have to ask to know this is your cat, seeing as the size is exactly right, so you pet her and hug her. She purrs into your chest as you hold her, and you recognize the sound as well, as your surroundings begin to shift.

The changing surroundings are distracting, so you almost miss it at first, but you think you can hear what your new Espeon is thinking. She’s confused and disoriented, but is thankful you’re here with her. It’s strange, but you don’t have long to dwell on it before you’re dropping to the ground, rather painfully, your bags falling around you. Espeon lands daintily on her feet as a former cat, and you want to glare but find you’re just relieved she’s fine.

But now you have a new problem. You have no idea where you are.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was SUPPOSED to go up at the same time as the Prologue, but the tablet I'm working on? Fucking hates everything at this point. He's ready to retire man. I have the VERY FIRST Windows Surface Tablet, and all it can run is Office Suite and Internet Explorer. You cannot even install programs or apps on this thing. INTERNET EXPLORER GUYS. I AM POSTING THIS USING INTERNET EXPLORER. I am trying. It's very hard. Internet Explorer doesn't really load any webpage properly anymore. I have to post my entire story this way. Pray for me.
> 
> This is unbeta'd, but I am looking for betas! If you'd like to beta for me, hit me up on Discord (MightMage#8983) or Twitter (@MightyMage5). Also if you'd just like to talk Pokemon or learn more about the fic, feel free to add me!

Turns out, you’re outside of Hammerlocke. You find this out because a couple people in uniforms eventually come find you as you’re wandering along the trail, and these people tell you where you are. They escort you back to Hammerlocke, as well, though they seem oddly wary of you. At least they keep a slow pace for you, so you can limp along with the help of your cane.

“That’s such a tiny Espeon,” one comments while you walk. “I’ve never seen one so small. I didn’t know they could even _get_ that small.” You’re not sure what to say to that.

Along the path, you’re able to figure out more about this weird hearing Espeon’s thoughts thing. Seems you really _are_ hearing her thoughts, and she can hear yours, too. You can communicate this way. _I wonder if it’s because you’re a Psychic-type Pokémon, or if it’s because that’s how Pokémon work?_ You ponder, and Espeon mentally shrugs, unsure herself what it could be.

Back in Hammerlocke, the two people in uniforms escort you to a Center. As a doctor examines you, the two in uniform begin to question you. Questions like ‘who are you’ and ‘where are you from’, things that are going to be complicated to answer without seeming crazy.

You realize you have two avenues of escape, here. One, you can tell them the truth about where you’re from and potentially get locked up for being considered insane. Coming from another world, who would believe you? Or two, lie out your teeth and hope they don’t catch on, so that you aren’t locked away. You’re mostly concerned about getting locked up right now, you find, so you focus on what _isn’t_ going to get you locked up.

You lie. You tell them you’re from Unova, and you use what knowledge you have of this world to make up a convincing story. Which, funnily enough, they bring up something you know, but you _know_ isn’t in the games. They ask you how you got across the Weather Wall.

That’s funny, how _do_ you know about that?

Have you…been here before?

Your Espeon is equally confused, sensing your muddled thoughts. She helps you sell your story, though, as she nods along and agrees with your lies. It’s interesting to you how she’s intelligent enough to not only keep up with what is going on, but understand how she can help, too. It isn’t hard to communicate this to her, either.

_Why do we need to lie?_ She ponders, and you think up how to answer.

_Because if we tell the truth, and they think we’re lying_ then _, then we could be locked away for being crazy enough to think another world exists. We don’t know if it’s safe to tell the truth. We don’t have enough information about this world yet._ Espeon thankfully understands you, keeping up with the lie you spin.

You manage to make up a convincing lie, and eventually the two people in uniform – League uniforms you think, if your knowledge is correct – leave. The doctor moves from examining you to looking at your Espeon.

“You know, this is the tiniest Espeon I have ever seen! I didn’t know it was physically possible for them to be this small!” He exclaims as he handles her. Espeon is not amused with this treatment, but lets the man examine her regardless, as she understands through you this is something for her benefit.

“Uh, yeah, she’s pretty tiny,” you answer nervously, unsure how to explain it away. It’s likely because she wasn’t always an Espeon, but you can’t _tell_ the man that.

“Where did you get her?” He asks, looking over at you.

“Uh…” Oh shit. “I don’t really remember anymore, honestly,” which is a total lie. You remember where you got your baby. “I was really young when I got her.” That part isn’t a lie, but it works for a cover story.

“Ah, did your parents get her for you?” No, they didn’t, but that would require more explanations.

“Yeah,” is all you give instead. You’re on the path of lying, might as well stick with it.

The doctor finishes examining you and Espeon, and lets you leave when he’s done. Unfortunately, this leaves you with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Now that you know where you are, how exactly do you _do_ anything in a world where you know no one, and know very little about the world itself?

And how do you know things about this world that you _shouldn’t_ know? There’s no way you could have known about the Weather Wall unless you’d heard about it before, and you _know_ you haven’t heard of anything like that mentioned in any of the games or the anime.

Could those dreams about Galar…be true?

You’ve _dreamt_ about this, sure, but who hasn’t? It doesn’t mean anything, does it? There’s no way your dreams can be _true,_ can they?

There’s only one way to find out. Heading back to the lobby of the Center, you ask a clerk at the front desk if there’s free computers anywhere you can use. She gives you directions to the library nearby, informing you of the free computers there.

It takes you a bit to find the library with her directions, as you’re not used to having to do things the old fashioned way. Normally you can just use a GPS app, but your phone doesn’t work here, for obvious reasons. Even if it takes a while, you do eventually find the library. You and Espeon head inside together, and get a computer to use.

The first thing you search up is, well, yourself. If your dreams are true, you’ve been here before, no?

Very little comes up about you, however, so you click on one of the articles that does. “Champion Missing!” Reads the title, and you scroll through it quickly to figure things out. So the former Champion went out into the Wild Area one day and never came back, huh? Lines up with what your dreams told you.

Clicking through links and doing your research, you eventually find out more about the former Champion. She was Champion for only a short while before disappearing, and the Champion before her, Leon, took over her title when she could not be found.

Huh.

You finally find a picture of her only to see, she looks nothing like you. Well, except for her eyes, which look exactly like yours. For one, she’s a girl, and you are definitely _not_ a girl. For two, she’s pretty in a way you’ve never been, and you feel a pang of jealousy. _How could she throw her life away like that when she had so much going for her?_ You think, scrolling through another article.

This one is about her injury. She had an injured left leg, and walked with a limp using a walker. Another thing you thought you only dreamt up. What is going on here? The more you dig into her life, the more it lines up with your dreams, and the more you feel a sick sense of dread.

You are her. You _have_ to be her. There is no other way. She had the same name, did the same things you dreamt up, used your favourite number on her jersey… There is simply too much to be able to write it off convincingly.

Only… How do you prove it? You look nothing like her. How do you prove you’re back?

A few ideas pop into your head. You can log into an account of hers; no one but you would know her passwords, right? You can also go to the Slumbering Weald and find the Rusted Sword and try to see if you are capable of summoning Zacian. Surely she would only respond to the one she chose as her partner, right? You can also talk to some people you once knew; if your memories line up with hers and you say things only she would remember, that would also prove it, right?

There’s a problem with every one of these things. The only account you can remember having here is a PokéSnap account, and you’d need a phone to log in and use that. You don’t have a phone, those cost money and you have no money. To get to the Slumbering Weald would require travelling across most of Galar, so you’d have to take the train. Which costs money, already been over that problem. And talking to someone you once knew?

They are all famous. How exactly do you go about talking to someone who _everyone_ wants to talk to, for one reason or another?

And what if you’re wrong?

What if you’re _not_ her, and you start talking to these people. They’d think you’re crazy, and have you locked up. You’re trying to avoid that, after all.

So you start looking into her more. Maybe you can find something about her that _could_ prove it. You come across an article about her alleged death. “Missing, declared dead, say investigators,” catches your attention. She was never found, and declared dead after a while? Another thing pointing out you could be her. Arceus _did_ say, “Would you like a second chance?”

You find an interview with her, after she became Champion. It’s not the content of the interview that disturbs you so much as it is the _voice_ , as it sounds creepily like your own. Not exactly, as she’s a girl and you’re a guy, but it sounds like yours, just pitched up. Could be another thing pointing to this being real.

Your stomach growling is the only thing that makes you aware of how much time you’ve spent researching this. It’s been a few hours, so you decide to take a break and go find some food.

Only to find… Food costs money. And you have no money. Now this is a problem.

You head back to the center, hoping maybe they’d be able to help you there. If your dreams really _are_ right, then they should let you stay there and stuff, hopefully. You have to find the Center, first. Which requires stopping and asking _real people_ for directions. How nerve-wracking.

You eventually make it back to the Center, where you’re able to get room and board. It’s a start, you still need to find a way to make money, but at least you aren’t out on the street. Your Espeon is disappointed in the food, though happy to have a nap on your bed, and you’re just relieved to have a place to finally keep all your stuff.

It’s been hard dragging around a backpack and a wheelie suitcase while trying to use a cane. You’ve done a lot of walking today, too, so having a place to rest, as well as stretch and massage your leg, is greatly appreciated.

Once rested, you go to bother the front desk staff again, hoping to find answers now about how you can make some money. They suggest a few avenues of work, including here at the Center, but most of them sound like they would be challenging with your bad leg. You’re going to have to give it a try, however, as you need the money.

The Center work doesn’t go well, it’s too challenging with your leg and needing the cane. So you go ask about work at other places, applying anywhere that doesn’t sound too challenging. Most employers don’t want you when they take one look at your cane. It takes a while to find work.

This takes the better part of a week. You stay and eat at the Center all the while, going to the library to try to research more about your old life. It’s hard to find much, as you didn’t end up living here long. Only ten months, by your memory, but you can’t find much that confirms that online. There’s so very little of your life online, and you realize that’s because you never put much of your life out there. You have only yourself to blame, really.

You watch old battles of yourself, finding them going exactly how you remember. Your battle with Nessa, falling into the water mid-battle, is one that stands out, and you see it plays out just as it is in your head. Your horrible Championship match against Leon… Yep, just as you remember.

This brings you to other videos. The one you stumble upon next is one from the beginning of the All-Stars tournament that you would have just missed. Leon walks onto the pitch, the cameras keeping a distance from him. He walks slouched and slow, like his cape is pulling him down. Perhaps it is.

When he reaches the center, he begins speaking. The cameras finally come closer, and you’re able to see how dead he looks, his golden eyes lifeless and dull. There are large bags under his eyes that makeup is attempting to cover, and he looks nothing like the man from your memories. As you listen to his words, you begin to understand why.

“Today, we begin All-Stars without its number one star, our former Champion, Kieran.” His voice is monotonous and as dead as his eyes. “She was so excited to compete in this. In her honour, we hold this tournament and push on, as life continues, even if hers does not. She was the most amazing person I ever met, and I loved her dearly. She will be missed. I hold out hope that she’s out there, somewhere, and that she’ll come home one day. In the meantime, the best of Galar have come together to battle it out to find the best of the best of the best, our All-Stars!” Leon strikes his Charizard pose then, and you see him wipe his face while it’s pointed down.

The video brings tears to your eyes, and you stop playing as the first match of the tournament begins once Leon walks off the pitch. It breaks your heart, how could you be so careless? How could you hurt your friends like that?

More videos reveal more of the same. It seems Leon never gave up hope that you’d one day come back to him. You want to tell him you have, but you still have no means of doing so. How frustrating.

You and Espeon adjust to this boring existence rather easily. All you can really do is job search and play around in the library. There’s not much else that can be done for free around here in Hammerlocke. By the end of the week, you’ve got a job at a café, helping out in the back. It’s a battle café, but you and Espeon don’t know how to battle, so in the back you remain, cooking and cleaning.

Espeon, as you find out, as a Psychic-type, can move things around using her mind. She lifts things and moves them, granted they’re small enough. She even feeds herself when she gets tired of waiting for you to. She helps you out at work, putting away dishes as you wash them. It’s the reason your boss hired you, after all. She makes up for your disability, according to him. You hate the ableism.

It’s hard – your leg often gets really sore by the end of a shift, but at least your boss lets you sit while you wash dishes, or do other menial labour. It’s better than the work at the Center, at least, even if you aren’t paid as much.

“Hurry it up back there, the customers are waiting!” Your boss snaps, and you grind your teeth.

“We’re going as fast as we physically can, I assure you,” you rebuke, turning to glare at him through the window that separates the front counter from the kitchen.

“You’re so useless. You can’t even battle. Why did I hire you?” He grumbles loud enough for you to hear. You know better than to comment back if you don’t want to lose your job. You hate it here.

On your days off, you usually still go to the library. Researching the past, seeing how much you know is correct, is interesting to say the least. You want _so badly_ for it to all be true, for you and the previous Kieran to be the same person. That would be wonderful, but you still can’t prove it yet.

Espeon wants it to be true so you two can have a better life than being homeless at the Center.

You first get enough money for train tickets, as your first paycheck isn’t enough for a phone. But now you have some spending money, even if you did just go through two weeks of hell, and another week of searching, just to get it.

The train ride to Wedgehurst takes a long time. Espeon sleeps curled up in your lap for the whole thing, while you stare out the window, watching the scenery tear by. It gives you time to think, and time to plan. If this really is all true, how would you tell anyone? How would you get them to believe you when you look nothing like you once did?

Maybe someone will recognize your voice or eyes, maybe, as it’s all you have. Maybe you’re wrong, and this is all just a creepy coincidence. And that scares you. It’s hours later before you’re finally pulling into your stop, your old phone getting close to dying, meaning you can no longer listen to your music. You tuck the device back into your bag with a sigh, watching the dark shapes of trees blur out the window. The sun has set by the time you reach Wedgehurst, and you walk out of the stadium to a quiet, sleepy city.

It’s too late to try getting to the Slumbering Weald, so you decide to stay in the Center for the night. Finding it is a whole task, though, as there are no people out to ask for directions from. You turn around and head back into the station, trying to locate a map or the like. An attendant hands you a pamphlet that unfolds into a map of the city, and you have to sit down on the ground outside to spread it out and look at it, as you can’t hold the whole thing with one hand while trying to use your cane.

You and Espeon stare at the map until you’ve memorized the path, and she climbs up onto your shoulder to travel. She’s too lazy to walk, after all, but at least she’s not heavy. You have to stop a couple times to spread the map back out, as in the dark it’s hard to find your way. You finally find the Center eventually, sore and tired from all the travelling and walking done today.

Walking inside, a cheery nurse greets you at the counter, and you get yourself a room and some food for the night. You and Espeon had last ate when you checked out of the Center in Hammerlocke this morning, so you’re both starving enough to eat anything at this point. Espeon still sticks her nose up at the food you’re given, however, before eventually eating it.

You tuck in for the night, looking at your map to see if it has any directions to Postwick or the Slumbering Weald on it, as your goal is to get Zacian. It doesn’t, and you wish you’d asked for other maps while you were at the station. You decide you’ll ask the Center staff in the morning about maps of the towns in the area, as maybe they have some here you can use, which would keep you from having to go all the way back to the station again. The less walking you have to do, the better, as your leg still needs to carry you all the way to the Slumbering Weald, and then all the way through it, too.

Morning rolls around, and you’re relieved the staff here do have maps you can use. You find one that will serve the purpose you need, as it has Postwick marked on it, but not the Slumbering Weald. You figure you can use your creepily accurate knowledge and find the Slumbering Weald from there. Taking off, you brace yourself for a long trip, and a lot of pain.

_You gotta walk this time, I need to conserve as much energy as possible,_ you request of Espeon.

_How dare you,_ she snarks, but stalks off ahead of you. You use your map of Wedgehurst to get yourself to the city limits, and from there you find the road that will lead you out to Postwick. Espeon is fine with the constant breaks, as she likes to rest as much as possible. She’s not _really_ tired, just lazy, so you know this is good exercise for her.

You’re nervous about walking along this trail, map of the area telling you to follow this up to a fork in the road ahead. You know to go right at the fork, but that’s as much as you’ve memorized. This is the first time you’ve been on a trail with wild Pokémon. So far, you’ve only been in the city, where the wild Pokémon are docile and leave people alone for the most part. You personally haven’t been bothered. But you don’t know how to battle, and neither does Espeon, so if you’re attacked by a wild Pokémon out here, you’re not sure what you’ll do.

You tread carefully as a result. However, this doesn’t matter, as Espeon is mad at you for not carrying her and is being careless to spite you.

What a great partner you have. You love this little shit so much, and you’re not sure if you want to laugh or cry about the fact her personality as a Pokémon is exactly like the personality she showed as a cat, only magnified. This bond is both a blessing and a curse.

_I love you, baby kitty,_ you console, but it does nothing.

_Suffer._ Again, you love this absolute walnut.

Sure enough, Espeon attracts a wild Nickit. _A fucking Dark-type of all things are you fucking kidding me we’re going to die,_ you curse, looking around for a route of escape.

Espeon, to your surprise, stands her ground against the wild Pokémon. She _feels_ strangely driven to prove herself, to show off for you and protect you, because she _does_ love you. You have this vague sense of knowing why this is, like someone once explained this phenomenon to you.

_“I see the problem, then. You’re not making rational decisions because of that bond you share with your Pokémon. You’re able to convince each other that you can handle things you ordinarily would know you couldn’t. They want to please you and prove their strength, when you’re picking up that, of course you’re going to run into things you shouldn’t. Why do you think wild Pokémon pick on Trainers way beyond their skill? Pokémon naturally want to prove themselves and get stronger, and those feelings convinced you to ignore your common sense,”_ you hear a deep voice explain to you, almost like a memory, but not quite. It’s more like a waking dream. It unnerves you regardless, and you’re a bit startled by it. It distracts you, and Espeon is hit by the wild Nickit while you aren’t paying attention.

_Ow!_ Her pain brings tears to your own eyes, and you feel awful for letting that happen to her on top of how badly the hit hurt. It must have been a Dark-type move.

_I’m sorry! Hit it back! I don’t know what to do!_ You’re stressing out, as you don’t want her to get hurt, but you can’t see a way to escape that doesn’t involve turning your backs.

_How?_ She questions, unsure how to attack.

_Uh_ , you stall, unsure yourself. Espeon are Special Attackers, but she doesn’t know how to attack, so how can you tell her to harness that power? Physical, however, you might be able to explain. _Tackle it? Just like charge at it and ram yourself into it?_ You try to explain, hoping she gets the idea.

She does, and she charges at the Nickit. You pray it does some damage.

And boy does it.

The hit sends the Nickit hurtling backwards, right into a rock, knocking it out cold. _Holy fuck,_ you think, _that was badass! But we need to get out of here now. I don’t have potions to heal you. We need to be careful._

 _Fine,_ she agrees, knowing you still have the Slumbering Weald ahead of you. Espeon walks closer to you this time, wanting to avoid wild Pokémon only to avoid pain like that again.

You, unfortunately, are not so lucky as to make it to Postwick without another encounter. You don’t even make it to the fork in the road without another encounter. This time, it’s a Rookidee, and it dives down at you. You duck, but the action causes your bad leg to buckle, and you collapse. You still dodge the Rookidee, however.

_Ok, how do I hit_ this _one?_ Espeon taunts, watching the flying Pokémon with careful eyes.

_Um, well, how about…_ You begin to think, grabbing your cane to try to haul yourself up. The Rookidee has spotted Espeon now, and is focused on her instead of you. _Dodge for now, like roll out of the way at the very last second._ The Rookidee swoops down at Espeon. _Wait… Wait… Now!_ You instruct, and Espeon dodges out of the way just in time.

_Ok, I think I’ve got it. How you can hit it. You know how you move things around with your Psychic powers?_ You suggest to her, hoping she gets the idea. You _feel_ she does, so you continue. _Just focus those as, like, a beam of energy. Like you want to break the plate instead of pick the plate up. Except the plate in this instance is a Rookidee._

The gem on her forehead begins to glow, and suddenly she fires off a beam of pink energy in the direction of the Rookidee. It doesn’t immediately hit, as Espeon takes a bit to figure out how to aim it. The Rookidee can’t swoop in and hit her while she’s doing this, though, as it’s trying to dodge. Espeon eventually nails it, and the poor thing drops from the sky, knocked out.

_Um,_ you start, confused. _Are you some kind of natural? Are you really strong? What’s going on? This is kind of insane._

_You doubt my abilities?_ She sasses, physically snorting.

You want to laugh, as it’s such a cute sound. _No, I’m very proud of you, I’m just confused._

The two of you hit the fork soon after, and take a break there. You pull out the map to double check things, but even the sign ahead of you tells you the direction. You’re not worried, everything is all farms from here on out, so as long as you follow the trail, you’ll find the tiny farming town.

You’re not even worried about the wild Pokémon now. You know they’re not really a match for Espeon. The rest of the trip passes slowly, but rather painlessly, now that Espeon has figured out how to attack properly. She aims a beam of energy at anything that dares bother the two of you, and everything goes down in one hit.

You eventually see the tiny homes off in the distance, over the hills that you think belong to the people of Postwick. You look to your right, hoping to see a dark swath of trees to signal the Slumbering Weald, but the distance that far out is still blocked by hills on that side. You sigh and continue on regardless, standing from your break and walking. Your leg is really starting to hurt, and you don’t have any pain killers. How the hell are you supposed to also make it _back_ after all this?

Getting back to walking after another break, it’s already been nearly two hours since you left Wedgehurst, and you are only now able to see the Slumbering Weald off in the distance. As you get closer, however, the town of Postwick begins creeping up on you, and you can see the quaint little homes, and one noticeably larger one that you know belongs to Leon’s family.

It’s exactly how you pictured it in your mind as you walk by, but you see no one out in the fields working or anything. Not that anyone in the family would recognize you, and you have nothing really to say to them aside from to ask about the former Champion, Kieran, and that might be hard for them to talk about with a stranger. No, there was no good way you could think of to bring it up and ask about her with them. It was better not to bug them. You were so close to the Slumbering Weald, anyways.

Along your walk to the Slumbering Weald, you pass by a little cottage, looking cleaned and fixed up. A section has been added to the back with a high ceiling, and there’s a small pitch taking up space beside the cottage. A Corviknight sleeps perched on the roof, and it looks like someone might be home. Does someone live there, now? You wonder who it could be. Someone took it over after you – or, well, _her_ , you still have no proof you and her are even related – left it.

There’s no reason you can think of to bother them, so you continue on to the Slumbering Weald. The gate is locked up, and you struggle to climb over it as you have no means of unlocking it. Espeon daintily jumps the gate, easily clearing it in a single, graceful leap. She walks beside you as you head into the thick clearing of trees. The fog is already thick and you’ve barely entered, and this worries you.

How are you supposed to find that altar? You’re not sure where to go, or how to find it, so you hope the faintly trodden trail you can barely make out leads you there. It’s nerve-wracking, walking through here like this, but you know you have to do it.

More Pokémon bother you out here, but even with the very little warning you get through the fog, Espeon has little trouble taking care of them. _We should try using this opportunity to learn other moves, too,_ you suggest, hoping this is an opportunity to teach your partner how to battle.

_Why? This one works. That sounds like a lot of effort._ You want to roll your eyes at her, but you don’t, but she still _feels_ that you want to, so she snorts. Out loud. She wants to spite you again, but that _also_ sounds like too much effort to her, so she relents to keeping pace with you instead.

You have to take a lot of breaks. It’s tough walking through here, with all the routes to trip you that you can barely see through the fog. You fall multiple times, and hit your face on many low-hanging branches as well. This forest sucks, and feels awfully spooky. It’s so dark, too, but you’re thankful Espeon can see better than you can, so you start following after her. The fog is thicker lower down, though, so even she can’t see much. You’re sort of working together to try to see what’s ahead of you.

Espeon purposefully doesn’t warn you of some roots to get back at you, however. You love her _so much_. Even if she is a total brat. And you’re only being a _little_ sarcastic.

You’ve been walking around and taking breaks for an hour, and you’re still no closer to finding this altar where you know the rusted sword and shield were kept at in game. The trail branches and twists back on itself, and you think you’re completely lost.

Another hour later confirms this, as you begin to notch trees to track where you’re going with a sharp rock you pick up. You begin seeing trees you’ve already notched and you want to scream. How are you even going to get _out_ if you’re already lost?

And what happens if you _can’t_ get out? No one knows you’re out here, you may get stuck out here forever. Or until you die from hunger, anyways. Espeon cries out loudly at this, not wanting to die out here. This, of course, attracts Pokémon, but she deals with them easily enough. Either the Pokémon here are all really weak, which, if the games are right, makes sense, or Espeon is really strong. It could also be both, too, it’s hard to tell. You’d have to go try to fight Pokémon in another location and see how you fare against them.

After another hour, and some crying, you manage to find the _entrance_ to the Slumbering Weald. Whatever, you’ll take it, you’re free.

But you’re no closer to proving who you are, frustratingly enough.

The walk back to Wedgehurst takes forever, and hurts like hell. Your leg is in a lot of pain from all the tripping and falling, and all the extra walking. All the breaks in the world didn’t really help, as you pushed yourself past your limits today. The sun is actually setting by the time you make it to the city, and you pull your map back out to find your way to the Center once more.

It’s a complete relief to crash down in your bed that night, sobbing as you curl up in pain. It sucks, your trip today was completely wasted, and you won’t be able to take one tomorrow; you’re going to have to rest after that. Espeon goes and gets food for the two of you, letting you cry in pain and suffer alone. At least she’s being nice enough to bring food.

You’re actually surprised when she comes back, a tray of food floating above her, successful. You thought she would have more trouble than that. _You must be good at telling them what you need._

_I have many years of practice with trying to tell you what I need, you dense, stupid human._ The remark makes you laugh, even if it’s insulting. She’s lucky she’s cute, that’s all you can think.

She gives you the tray, and you pass her the food for her before digging into your own. It’s just like bland hospital food, and it’s just like the food you’ve been eating for the last three weeks in the Center in Hammerlocke. Great to know it all equally sucks everywhere.

You don’t really do anything to get ready for bed besides change, and that’s only when Espeon tosses you your bag so you can dig out a change of clothes, as you refuse to get up. Your leg hurts way too much.

You’re really hoping some rest, and another day spent in bed will help you recover, and you can try again the day after. You’re not ready to give up on finding that altar, after all.


	3. Chapter Two

You spend the entire week in Wedgehurst. It’s all the time you have between your shifts at work, so you would stay longer if you could. By the end of the week, you still haven’t found the altar, and your leg is in rough shape. You have to go back home to Hammerlocke and try again in the future. As frustrating as it is, time is one thing you happen to have a lot of, so you remind yourself to be patient.

You manage to teach Espeon one other move. Sand Attack. It’s a start to becoming a Trainer, and to learning how to battle. Perhaps your boss will be less shitty to you if you can also help out at the café with battling.

However, being that this is Hammerlocke, the caliber of Trainers that come to the Battle Café to battle is something else. There’s a rule of if you win against one of the Trainers, you get a free treat, but you can only make one attempt and you don’t get to pick who you battle. So if you aren’t good at battling, you’re useless to the café owner, as he doesn’t want to be giving out many free treats.

Back at work, you inform your boss of the new developments with Espeon. “So she can use attacks now!” You explain cheerily, though he still doesn’t look amused.

“Wow, a Pokémon who can attack? _Amazing_.” You can hear the sarcasm in his voice. “Take out someone it battle here and I’ll care. For now, you’re just a burden. Get back to work already.”

“You know, if someone _taught_ me, I probably could battle well,” you can’t help but add before leaving for your station.

“Aww, go ask someone who cares, sugar,” he taunts, and it makes your blood boil. You get back to work regardless.

It’s another week before you get enough time between shifts to make the trip down to Wedgehurst both financially worth it and physically worth it. You can only do so much in a day before having to take a day to rest, and you have to line those days up with your work days so you can have enough energy to make it to work. You need at least four to be able to make the trip, rest, make the trip again, and rest again before work.

Hoping on the train with Espeon again early in the morning, you hope this trip is more successful than the first. You spend half the day on the train, the other half walking, and don’t get back to the Center until it’s dark out. You still don’t find the altar, so you have to try again in two days. It’s beginning to get frustrating how this isn’t working out.

And how long until someone catches you doing this and starts asking questions you can’t answer? Turns out, the answer to that question is the next trip, as one of the farmers in Postwick asks when he sees you again.

“Where do you keep going? And why? I don’t recognize you, what are you up to around here?” He asks, sounding suspicious of you.

“Uh,” you stall, thinking. “I’m going to the Slumbering Weald.” You figure the truth won’t get you in trouble for that, at least.

“Why?” He asks, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m, uh, looking into the Pokémon that live in there.” There’s the lie. You hope he doesn’t catch on that you are lying, as a wide smile cracks your face to try to give you away. You hate your stupid tell.

“Oh, one of those city researcher folks. Just don’t go disturbing the Pokémon in there, you hear? That’s the resting place of the heroes of Galar. We don’t take kindly to any disrespect shown to it.” You don’t doubt he’s telling the truth, too. Seems he believes you, at least.

“Of course, sir. We’re leaving the Pokémon alone, it’s hard to study Pokémon in their natural habitat when you go bothering them, after all!” You pretend to joke, laughing fakely. The man only narrows his eyes further and nods.

“Right.” He keeps his eyes on you the whole way to the Slumbering Weald. It unnerves you, but there’s not much you can do. Once again today, you’re unsuccessful, and the man is still out on his farm when you leave again. He watches you the whole time you walk out of Postwick, too.

Back in Hammerlocke again, you need to think of a better plan. You’re going to get yourself banned from going to the Slumbering Weald at this rate. You need another avenue of play.

It’s not like you get the time off for it in the next few weeks, either. The most you get is three days, which isn’t enough to make the trip worth it. Instead, you use the time off to start going to a park nearby where Trainers battle in. You watch some battles happen on the small pitch, as you can never watch the battles in the café due to being locked in the back.

Espeon, however, has little to no interest in learning how to battle. _We can improve our life situation if we get good at battling, though. Maybe even a raise at work._ You want to convince her to give it a try, at least, but she seems content with what she can do now.

_Fine,_ she acquiesces, _one battle._ You feel a bit giddy, and start paying closer attention to the current battle happening. A Haxorus fights a Kommo-o, the battle seeming pretty even between the two Trainers. You watch eagerly, noticing how the Trainers command the Pokémon, and how the Pokémon respond and move in return. You watch them dodge and attack, but you wish Espeon was also paying as much attention as you are.

The Kommo-o ends up being the victor, and you cheer with the other spectators at the victory. You get up from the bench you are sitting on and march over to the pitch, unsure how to let the Trainer know you’d like to try battling next.

“Anyone else think they can take us on?” Taunts the man who owns the Kommo-o, spraying a potion on his Pokémon to recover him for the next battle.

Espeon walks over and stops beside you, and when no one steps forward immediately to challenge the man, you tentatively raise your hand to challenge him. A nervous beat flutters in your chest, and the man turns to look at you with a sneer.

“You think that little runt of a Pokémon can take me? Can you even battle when you need a cane to stand? Doesn’t matter, I suppose, I can still kick your arse.” He stands from his position beside his Kommo-o, and walks back to the edge of the pitch. You walk to the other, reminding yourself to breathe deeply.

“I’ve never battled before, I hope I do well!” You admit as you stand at the edge, Espeon walking out into the middle of the pitch. You refuse to comment about his cane remark.

“Ha! Oh, _this_ will be an easy victory! I may have to take it easy on you!” The man leers, crossing his arms triumphantly already.

You take a deep breath. _It doesn’t matter if we lose. We’ll just keep trying until we get it._

_Says you,_ Espeon shoots back, _I plan to stop after this one._

 _Fine, ok, great. Or we can just immediately give up. Sure._ You remind yourself you love her.

”Ready?” A man calls from the side of the pitch. “Begin!”

“Kommo-o, use Dragon Claw!” The man shouts, and his Pokémon charges in at Espeon.

_Roll to the side, then use your beam,_ you instruct, and Espeon follows through. She nimbly rolls underneath the claws of the enemy Pokémon, then fires off a beam of pink energy at the Kommo-o. The hit causes the dragon to roll over, but he gets to his feet.

“Well, colour me impressed! Didn’t know you’d actually be good! Kommo-o, don’t let her hit you again! Charge in and use Shadow Claw!” He orders, and you grimace.

_Don’t let that hit you! Shit, try Sand Attack._ You keep your eyes on the other Pokémon, and wait for him to get close enough before getting Espeon to use Sand Attack. It’s risky, as it makes it harder to dodge out of the way after, but Espeon tosses up a heap of sand right in the Kommo-o’s face, and his claws rake harmlessly over her as she crouches low to the ground after the move.

_Nice! I wish you knew something like Double Team or Teleport, to make it even easier to dodge the enemy._ Espeon doesn’t want to learn more moves, or more about battle, though, so you aren’t sure how to convince her. _Or a Fairy-type move, that would do some serious damage to a Fighting/Dragon-type like Kommo-o._

_Make do._ Espeon charges up another beam, aiming it at the Kommo-o, even as he charges in to hit her. He manages to land his hit before Espeon’s goes off. The hit _hurts_ , and Espeon cries out in pain from it, tumbling backwards a ways. She lands near your feet, hissing in anger as she struggles to her feet. One more hit and she’s going to be out.

_You need to dodge. We can’t get hit again._ You’re worried about her, and that hit hurt. You don’t want her to feel another hit like that.

_We? I don’t see you out here getting smacked around,_ Espeon fires back, and you want to roll your eyes but don’t. Her sass is warranted in this instance.

She charges up and fires off another pink beam of energy, but the Kommo-o easily dodges it. Espeon rolls to the side of his claws again, dodging his move in return. This close, however, she’s able to fire off another move.

Espeon just wants to _hit the damn thing_ , and fires off a blast of energy at the Kommo-o. Undodgeable at such a close range, the opposing Pokémon gets sent flying backwards, landing painfully on his back. He doesn’t get up.

“WHAT?!” The man yells, clearly not expecting that.

_Ok, that wasn’t so bad. I like winning._ Espeon begins casually grooming herself, getting the dirt off her fur from battle.

_Does that mean you’ll battle again?_ You request, looking at her with pleading eyes.

_Not today._ It’s not a no, at least. But you understand her not wanting to again today. She took a harsh hit, and she’s in no state to continue battling.

“There’s no way that was your first battle! You’re one of those trainers who says that to throw an opponent off, aren’t you?!” The man shouts at you, gesturing angrily as he recalls his fainted Pokémon.

“Dude, just take the L. He wasn’t even commanding his Pokémon, pretty sure he had no idea what he was doing. Beginner’s luck, man.” Another man who had been standing behind the one you battled the whole time suddenly steps up, resting a hand on the first man’s shoulder. He must be a friend, you assume.

“Yeah, don’t make an arse of yourself. At least you didn’t have money riding on the match. It was just a practice bout.” A woman steps up as well, patting the man’s other shoulder. They lead him off, and he grumbles just loud enough for you to hear, but not loud enough for you to make out the words.

Espeon trots back over to you, then, amidst cheers from the gathered crowd. “Was that really your first ever battle?” The man with the Haxorus asks, coming up beside you.

“It was, yes. We really didn’t know much of what we’re doing. She only knows Psybeam and Sand Attack, really.” The man bursts into laughter at your admission.

“No way! And you beat Shepherd! He beat Kabu in the Gym Challenge, he’s no pushover! You have skills, if you train them up.” His compliment makes you smile softly. You reach down and pick up Espeon.

“Thank you. Now I just have to convince this one to _actually_ train.” You pet your Espeon, and she purrs loudly.

“That’s such a tiny Espeon! Playing the Accuracy/Evasion game is smart with such a small Pokémon. She’s already harder to hit, so making her even _harder_ is a really strong strategy. I’m Alan, by the way,” the man introduces himself to you, holding out his hand.

You shift Espeon to one arm and shake his hand. “Kieran. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Like the former Champion, Kieran? Unusual name, but nice to meet you!” He wears a grin, so you let his teasing go.

“Yeah, just like her,” you murmur awkwardly, scratching at your arm.

“Cool, hey, if you need someone to train with, let me know!” You’re glad he changes the subject away from her.

“That would be great! I need someone to show me how to teach this bundle of joy other moves.” You nuzzle into her while you speak, and she meows in protest of your sarcasm.

Alan shows you and Espeon how to battle a bit better, using his recovered Haxorus to demonstrate things. Haxorus is a physical attacker, but Alan knows how to describe the process of finding where a Pokémon’s power come from well enough that it doesn’t matter; Espeon is able to pick things up.

Your goal is to learn Double Team, Teleport, and maybe a move of another type. Fairy would be good. Once Alan shows you how to get Espeon to learn moves, and she feels slightly driven to actually learn them, he pulls out his phone for you to look up videos of other Pokémon using the moves you want to teach Espeon.

You and Espeon watch them. “This is how I teach Haxorus new moves, and it usually works. Not always. But it doesn’t hurt to try.” He also really tries to help your Espeon understand where the powers to use these moves comes from.

It’s still all fruitless, as Espeon does not learn any new moves by the end of the impromptu training session. Alan has to get to work, and you should go to the Center and get Espeon healed up from her earlier battle.

You spend your time back at the Center focusing on how to teach Espeon new moves when she seems only half interested in learning them. How can you get her interested in learning how to battle? A question for another day, it seems, as night rolls around and you’re no closer to an answer. You go to bed, Espeon curling up at your feet, feeling frustrated.

You spend the next few weeks doing similarly. On your days off, you go to the park, and Alan is usually there. He helps you try to train Espeon, though you don’t really get much of anywhere. You continue to try regardless. You don’t want to go into another battle until you know some more moves.

Getting enough days off to go to the Slumbering Weald without requesting it seems like it just isn’t happening, and you’re not sure how you feel about that. On one hand, you want to go and find the altar. On the other, you _still_ have not found the altar, and you’ve made several trips. How had you and Hop found it so easily – if that was even true? Maybe you can’t find it because you aren’t meant to find it.

Which, fine, but that means you need another avenue to prove who you are. Social media accounts are your next idea, as becoming a Trainer doesn’t seem to be working out well. So you begin saving up for a phone, and decide staying in Hammerlocke is more cost efficient for that. No trips out to the Slumbering Weald for a while for you, which solves your issue about the farmer who didn’t want you there.

Espeon picks up the move Double Team after a while, adding to her total move count. She gets Teleport shortly after that, as once she figures out how to project her image out, and multiply it to confuse opponents, she quickly puts together how to appear where one is standing, teleporting her location without giving much away. It makes the move combo even more effective, causing her to be incredibly hard to hit. Which is good, because she’s frail, and doesn’t like being hit.

_Battling isn’t so bad when they can’t hit me. It’s almost fun,_ Espeon decides one day, and you smile.

_You know, if I become a Trainer, we can enter the Gym Challenge and improve our life that way,_ you remind her. _It will mean I can buy you the kind of food you want to eat._

_Ok, I guess I can start putting more effort in, then._ She trains with Alan’s Haxorus, who is slower to begin with, so he really struggles to hit your little Espeon. She still only knows the one attacking move, however, so you need her to learn more to cover your bases.

It takes a while, but eventually Espeon learns Dazzling Gleam, a Fairy-type move. Convenient for fighting against all the different Dragon-type Pokémon most of the Trainers living in Hammerlocke seem to own. You also eventually save up enough to buy a phone. It’s not top of the line or anything, as you just need it to be able to log into PokéSnap. Making phone calls and texting is a plus, as you can finally add Alan to your contacts and schedule when to meet up in advance, instead of always trying to schedule and meet up while at the park.

It’s a pretty blue Rotom-phone. PokéSnap is preinstalled on it, so once you get it all set up, one of the first things you go to do is log in. You punch in the account name and password you use for everything.

The screen tells you you’re using an incorrect password, and to please input right one. You try to make a couple guesses, using different variations of your passwords, but the app warns you it’ll lock you out if you keep attempting. Well, getting whoever is using your account locked out would get their attention, wouldn’t it? But it proves nothing, as you don’t know the password.

You instead opt to make a new account, and see what is going on with your old one. Maybe you really are wrong? The process doesn’t take long, you just add numbers to your favourite account name to make the process go by faster.

As soon as you’re set up, you search up your old account name. What you find is…interesting, to say the least. It’s being run as a memorial account. Posts are being made _about_ her, not by her, saying sentimental things about her, and how much she is missed. You scroll far enough down to find her old content, the stuff she herself posted, and try going through it to see if there’s anything there that could possibly prove you and her are related in any way.

There’s nothing, not really, nothing that _proves_ anything, anyways. It makes you remember a lot, sure, and you’re weirded out once more that you remember so much about this girl who, well, could possibly not be you. How do you know so much about her life, and why is what you know accurate? It’s frustrating, to say the least, as there’s nothing you can do with this information. You had been banking on knowing the password, and you don’t. It’s entirely possible it was changed on you, but you have no way of knowing that. It’s also entirely possibly you are not her, and that’s why you don’t remember her password.

So it’s either back to the Slumbering Weald now, or become a Trainer. Both of which are much harder than you were originally expecting them to be. The Slumbering Weald seems like the option that will get you there easier, as training Espeon is going very slow, but you aren’t about to give that up. Being able to battle would mean your job could improve.

You have to actually ask for the time off to go to the Slumbering Weald. You ask for six days off to make it worth it, and let Alan know you’ll be out of town for a bit. The train ride there is dull, the walk even duller, as Espeon knows well what to do now to keep the easy wild Pokémon away. It’s convenient, but the walk is still incredibly taxing on you and your leg. You at least don’t need the map anymore at this point, having memorized the walk.

You still don’t see any of Hop’s family outside when you pass their family home. Nor do you see who’s making a home out of your old place, even though you still see the Corviknight perched on the roof. You’re curious who fixed it up, as you had always had the plans to fix it up exactly like this. Another coincidence, maybe? It’s getting hard to say.

Travelling out into the Slumbering Weald, you’re getting used to using stones to mark your path to avoid getting lost and turned around as much as possible. It still happens, but you’re able to take different routes and try again when you do, and you’re always able to find the entrance with your markings. It helps you know a bit about this, though you don’t remember where you learned such skills.

Day one is a bust, again, so you head out again two days later. “You again?” The farmer from before stops you once again.

“Yes, I’m back again. Don’t worry, I’m not bothering any Pokémon, I promise. You can even follow me and see for yourself.” You launch into an explanation before he can even begin questioning you, but he only scoffs at you.

“Like I got the time for that! Just get your business over with and get out of here!” He snaps, turning around and heading back to his farm.

“Yes, sir, I’ll do that,” you promise, heading off to the Slumbering Weald.

Despite your best efforts, using your marks from two days ago and everything, you still don’t find the altar. You’re not even sure if you’re close. Maybe you need to start wandering off the gently trodden paths. You had thought those would lead you to the altar, as after Zacian and Zamazenta were found, a lot of people had come to the altar. Yet…the trails seem to only lead in circles. Perhaps you have to go off them.

You don’t have the energy for that this trip, however, so you pack it in and vow to do that in two days. Retiring for the night, you head back to your room at the Center in Wedgehurst, trying to get comfortable. It’s hard when thoughts plague you, and your dreams are filled with shadows telling you how you’re not really her.

After another day of rest, you’re back out at it, heading to the Slumbering Weald for the last time this trip. Once deeper into the wood, you break off from the trodden trail, heading into the thick fog and undergrowth. You carefully keep track of where Espeon is through your bond, not wanting to get separated from her in this.

You mark up trees as you go, still, to hopefully help you find your way back. This is territory where it’s easy to get completely lost now, and you’re thankful your new phone has a compass feature. You use that to track which direction you’re heading in, keeping yourself going as straight as possible.

You occasionally cross paths with Pokémon. They’re stronger, deeper in here, and Espeon struggles a bit more with them. These aren’t just ‘charge at them and they’re knocked out’ kind of Pokémon, you actually have to plan out a strategy each fight you get into.

Which tells you that you must be getting close. You’re excited and nervous, as this could finally prove or disprove your hypothesis. Venturing further and further in, despite how much pain you’re in, you really feel like you’re almost there.

You break into a clearing, the late sun shining down in beams through the trees. Ahead you see an altar, fog shrouding it as it backs onto a scenic landscape. A single sob escapes you, and you dash up to the altar to see if you can find the rusted sword.

Only to see nothing is there. You collapse at the first step up to the altar, another, louder sob escaping you.

How is this possible? You were so sure this would be how you could prove yourself. Where is the sword, then? Who has it? Did Zacian not make it back after Kieran went missing? You remember reading something about how her old friends were taking care of her Pokémon, so did that mean someone was taking care of Zacian, and she still had the rusted sword?

But you don’t remember seeing anyone use Zacian in battle. You’d seen Hop use Zamazenta and her Charizard, and Leon use Ace, and Marnie has her Corviknight, and Raihan has her Haxorus, and Piers has her Gengar… Her Dragapult, Gallade, and Zacian were unaccounted for, however. Which is why you were hoping Zacian would be here, resting.

“Zacian?” You call out feebly, hoping maybe _she_ had the sword still. “Zacian?” You call out louder, looking around.

What are you doing? If she is here, would she not be _here_ , at the altar? You call out a few more times, desperation tinging your voice. When you begin to hear the rustling of undergrowth, you stop, looking out for what it could be.

Only, it’s a wild Weezing, not Zacian. Another sob escapes you, and soon you’re having a full on meltdown on the ground in front of the altar.

Espeon steps up to take care of the wild Weezing, realizing you are not in the position to help her. She knows your strategy now, and executes it rather flawlessly on her own, after all the practice here.

Are you really related to Kieran? Is it even possible for you to be? Sure, you know all these things, and it’s a weird coincidence, but it could be just that, _just_ a coincidence. There’s nothing stating any of it has to be real, or related to you. She’s likely a whole separate person, and you have no relation to her at all. It infuriates you and frustrates you, but there’s nothing you can really do about it. How do you prove something like that? You are running out of options.

And, even if you _do_ become a Trainer, what does that _prove_? Even if you talk to them, just knowing about her doesn’t really prove anything. If you say the wrong things, too, you’ll just make people think you’re crazy. It’s time to come to the conclusion that you’re likely _not_ her, and you’re just going to have to build a whole new life here, all on your own. You can’t piggy-back off someone else’s life they built, even if you know about it and want it for your own.

Of course you’d want it for your own, it was a nice life. You’re just going to have to build a nice life like that for yourself. It’s going to take _so_ much work, but there’s nothing else you can do. You let yourself grieve this lost life, however, as you had been so hoping it was all real.

How can you _prove_ it, though? Maybe you’ll think of another way to prove it in the future. For now, there’s nothing more you can do here. It’s getting dark, though, you realize as the sunbeams die out from between the trees, and you frown as you’re going to have to try to find your way back at night.

You’ve spent way longer looking for this altar today than you should have. It had ended up working out, but now you need to find a way to get home. And that’s going to be harder in the dark. The already dark forest grows even darker, and you have to go really slow to make sure you stay on the path you originally took to get here, following the marks on the trees that you can barely see, even when you are looking for them.

You make it out of the forest, and the half-moon is high in the sky. Your phone says it’s past ten, and you groan. It’s going to be past midnight by the time you make it into Wedgehurst.

By the time you’re falling into your bed in the Center, it’s past one in the morning, and sleep claims you quickly, exhaustion from the day causing you to fall into a deep sleep.

Plagued by strange dreams, at that. You see bits and pieces of your old life – of _Kieran’s_ old life, not yours – fragmented in front of you. You try to reach out and catch these pieces, seeing small glimpses into her life, but none stay long enough for you to piece together what they’re part of. It’s a confusing mess of feelings and spoken words and images, whirling together to cause you to wake up just as exhausted as you fell asleep.

And you still have to get back to Hammerlocke today, as much as you want to just crawl back into bed and sleep all day. You promise yourself you can sleep on the train as you struggle out of bed. Your leg hurts so much, you should have asked for seven days off instead, but you foolishly only asked for six. You get breakfast and check out of the Center, struggling over to the station to head home.

You limp heavily all the way there, people giving you strange looks as you pass. You hate it, but what can you do? You can’t stop them from judging you. The train ride home is spent in agony, as you’re unable to sleep on the ride, so you spend the whole thing miserable.

Arriving back in Hammerlocke, you check back into the Center and crash into bed, determined not to move again until you have to go into work tomorrow. Your leg is going to hate you so much, but there’s nothing much you can do about it now. If you call in sick, you may lose this job. It’s frustrating, and it sucks, but at least you have a day off again the next day. You don’t have to go out training, you can stay in and rest.

Which is exactly what you do. It’s a few days before you’re able to meet up with Alan again to train.

“I want to become a Trainer.” You tell him one day while at the park, after a small bout between the two of you. You win it, as you’ve won every bout between the two of you, but it’s hardly fair when you have a super effective move against his Haxorus.

“Oh yeah? Like a professional one?” He asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Yeah. Like do the Gym Challenge and everything,” you explain, looking over at him from where you’re sitting on the bench.

“Think you’re good enough for that? I bet you could get there with time, you’ll have to put a lot more effort in first, I think.” He looks thoughtful, hand resting on his chin as he speaks.

“I want to give it a try, at least.” You won’t know how well you do until you try, after all.

“Noble! You’ll need an endorsement, it’s probably going to be easiest for you to get one from Gym Leader Raihan. I’ll help you train, as you’re going to need to prove yourself to him before he’ll give you an endorsement.” Alan does indeed help you train, though you realize it’s going to be a few weeks before you get good enough to go try out at the Gym.

Practice makes perfect, however, and all you’ve got is time. The Gym Challenge isn’t until spring; you’ve got plenty of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah I forgot about Alan. Don't worry he's literally a narrative device to move the story forward and he never appears again once he's served his purpose.
> 
> Hope you all are enjoying so far, I know it's a slow start. I promise it picks up soon.


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late I got distracted today.

You spend the next month working and training, saving up your money while staying at the Center to improve your life. You sometimes eat out, much to Espeon’s delight, but for the most part, you stash the money away in case you need it.

Alan trains with you. He’s re-entering the Gym Challenge this year, picking up at battling Kabu. You want to participate this year, as winning that could prove a lot, probably. Espeon only wants to win so she can eat out more. It’s motivation, at least?

Over that month, Espeon picks up a few new moves. More Psychic-type moves that aren’t Psybeam, as well as other moves like Shadow Ball, Swift, and Grass Knot. You feel better about taking on whatever Raihan will throw at you to prove yourself worth an endorsement.

Taking a deep breath – it’s one of your days off – you walk through the entrance to the Stadium, heading up to the front counter. Espeon sits on your shoulder as you wait at the front desk for someone to come help you. A young woman comes over, and her eyes light up when she sees your Espeon.

“Ohmigosh that is the _cutest_ little thing I have ever seen! Where do you get Espeon that tiny?” She looks at you with wide eyes, a bright smile on her face.

“Uh, wish I knew, but she was a gift,” you lie, scratching her head as a distraction. She purrs loudly, and the attendant coos at her.

“Oh, what a sweetie! Oh, sorry, I should be doing my job! How can I help you?” She asks, straightening up and turning to her computer.

“I’m, uh, here to get an endorsement for the Gym Challenge?” Alan had said to just walk in and ask for one, but it still feels weird to do such a thing.

“Ok, I’ll just need a bit of information from you, first. Then it’s up to Raihan if he wants to test you out or not,” the woman explains, typing away at her computer. She asks you several questions about yourself, which you aren’t sure how to answer, and when she asks for your ID, you explain you don’t have one.

“Huh? Don’t have one? You should go get one. Well, I guess I can still enter you into the system with what I have… One last question, what’s your team line-up?” The attendant turns to you and asks.

“Just Espeon here.” You pat her head and she makes a noise of affirmation, and the attendant’s face falls.

“Oh, I’m afraid Raihan only battles those with two or more Pokémon, as he only does double battles. If you can’t double battle, he won’t endorse you.” So _that’s_ why Alan was travelling to Motostoke to get his endorsement… You might have to, as well.

“I can’t take him on with just one Pokémon?” You whine, pouting slightly. You don’t want to break into your savings for another train ticket if you don’t have to.

“Unfortunately not.” Her answer makes you frown. “Come back when you have two Pokémon.”

“I can’t take on two Pokémon with just my one?” The woman cracks into a laugh at that.

“Take on two with just one? Are you mad?” She sputters through her laughter, hand over her mouth.

“No, I’m being completely serious.” It’s worth a try, isn’t it? If you fail, you’ll still have to go to Motostoke for an endorsement anyways. Might as well try to get one here.

“You can’t be, you’d stand no chance!” She’s still laughing though, so she must be enjoying this.

“Won’t know that until I try, will I?” You’re not going to let her deter you.

“Hang on, I have to tell Raihan about this, this is _gold!_ ” She exclaims, turning and heading into the back. You have to wait out at the front desk for quite a while, leaning against it to get weight off your leg since you can’t sit.

Eventually she comes back out, following behind the tall Gym Leader himself. He comes out from around the desk and comes to stand beside you. You have to look way up to meet his eyes and see the amusement dancing in them.

“So I hear you want to challenge me with just that puny little Espeon?” He taunts, raising his eyebrows at you.

“Yeah, don’t knock her until you see her battle.” You don’t like how easily this man just insults your partner like that.

“Oh I’m looking forward to seeing just that. Anyone this cocky is either an idiot, or actually worth their salt, and I’m willing to see which one you are. The way I look at it, either way is going to be entertaining for me.” Raihan rolls his shoulders casually, leaning back a bit farther and standing taller.

“Glad I can be your entertainment for the day,” you sass back, narrowing your eyes slightly at the man.

Kieran had once been pretty close with this man. You don’t want to burn this bridge too early, even if he’s pissing you off quite a bit. You need to talk with him about Kieran to see if what you know about her and her memories is true.

“You have a uniform to change into?” Raihan cocks a single eyebrow at you, and you shake your head no. “Right, I’ll get you a spare, then. Andrea, can you grab a…medium?” He looks at you like he expects you to confirm his guess. You nod, and Andrea runs back to grab a spare uniform for you.

It’s the Dragon uniform, a dark blue with orange stripes on it. There’s no name or number printed on it, because it’s not actually yours, it’s just a loaner. Raihan points you off to the change rooms with instructions to come back when you’re done.

You lock yourself in one of the stalls, quickly taking off your clothes and throwing on the new uniform. It feels nice on your skin, a comfy material. Tossing your clothes and belongings in a locker, you tuck Espeon’s Pokéball in your pocket and head back to the lobby.

“Follow me. Let’s go see you battle.” Raihan turns, and it seems like you’re expected to follow him as he looks back over his shoulder to check. You follow after him, heading deeper into the Stadium, deep into the halls that lead out to the pitch.

Leading you down a tunnel, you come out into the bright lights of the pitch. The stands are mostly empty, a few people sitting in them watching all the Trainers out on the pitch training with their Pokémon. There’s quite a few of them, and most of them are in Dragon uniforms like yours. A couple are in regular Challenger uniforms, and you think they might be practicing for the upcoming Gym Challenge.

“Don’t worry,” Raihan starts, as if sensing something on your mind. “They’ll all clear out of the way when the battles begin.” You weren’t worried about that, but you’re glad to hear it regardless.

Raihan leads you to the center of the pitch, and gestures out to one of the people training on the pitch. “Aria! Come over here for a bit!” He yells, and a short girl runs over, her two Pokémon following after her. When she comes to stand beside the tall Gym Leader, it almost looks comical with their height difference. “Heal up your Pokémon, I need you to battle a Trainer for me.”

Aria nods, pulling potions out of her pockets and spraying them on her Abomasnow and Hakamo-o. She then marches a ways away, and Raihan looks at you. “Do you need the cane to battle?”

You _can_ stand without it, but it’s hard and it hurts. “Technically no, but it hurts without.” Raihan nods to your words.

“You wouldn’t be able to use it in the Gym Challenge.” Why aren’t you surprised? Kieran couldn’t use her walker, either.

“Figured. I’ll survive without it for the Gym Challenge, but if I could use it today, I’d greatly appreciate that.” It doesn’t hurt to ask, after all.

“Yeah, that’s no problem. I’m just here to test your battle skills right now.” You sigh with relief, glad Raihan isn’t going to make you leave it behind. “Ready?” He asks, and you and Aria both nod. Espeon jumps off your shoulder and onto the field ahead of you. “Begin!”

“Just the one?” Aria asks, looking at you. You nod, and she suddenly gets a serious look on her face, instructing her two Pokémon into battle.

_Double Team first, then Teleport to confuse them further. The goal here is **do not get hit** , or we will not win. You’re frail, and it’s two against one. We have to abuse how hard it is to hit you._ It’s a cheap strategy, but it’s what you have been training all month for. Espeon launches into the attack, spreading her image around in a large circle around the two opposing Pokémon. She then teleports to one of them, though it merely looks like one flickers slightly. It’s hard to tell unless you’re looking right at it.

Aria’s two Pokémon begin trying to figure out which one is the real one by attacking each. Espeon teleports out of the way if it seems like one is about to attack her. _Sand Attack the one getting close to you, then Teleport to the left._ She teleports a bit to the left after lowering both Pokémon’s accuracy. _Now use Charm, weaken them._ All of the doubles of Espeon make the actions of the move, charming both opposing Pokémon and weakening their Attack. Now, if Espeon _does_ get hit, it won’t do nearly as much. Not that there’s much of a chance of that.

“Abomasnow, use Hail!” That’s not good, that could slowly chip away at you. When Espeon flinches from the hit of the hail, all her doubles do as well, so it at least doesn’t double as something to give away your position. It _does_ mean your set-up is going to cost you.

Aria is growing frustrated, and you haven’t even started attacking yet. That Hakamo-o is going to go down in one hit once you _do_ start attacking, but you have a strategy to follow first. _Fake Tears, if we lower their defences, they’ll go down fast._ Espeon pretends to cry, wailing pathetically, and it lowers the Special Defence of both Pokémon. _Calm mind next, then we can finish this._

As buffed up as she is now, Espeon is ready to take on the two opposing Pokémon. _Now, Dazzling Gleam on the Hakamo-o._ Espeon follows through, though attacking directly gives away her position, as only one copy actually uses the move. Regardless, it hits both Pokémon, sending the Hakamo-o tumbling over. The Abomasnow is pushed back, but shakes off the blow just fine.

Hakamo-o isn’t getting back up, so Aria recalls him with a cry. Abomasnow knows where Espeon is now, though, and he charges in at her. However, he misses when he goes to swipe at her, allowing her to Teleport out of the way of any further attacks. Aria is tugging at the shirt of her uniform as she shouts at her Abomasnow to find Espeon.

_A good hit of Psychic should take that Abomasnow out,_ you instruct, and Espeon fires off a large wave of energy, aiming at the Abomasnow. The hit gives away her position again, but it doesn’t matter, as the Abomasnow is knocked off his feet and rendered unconscious.

“No!” Aria shouts, recalling her fainted Pokémon. Looking over at Raihan, he looks faintly impressed.

“Not how I was expecting that battle to go at all. Sebastian!” Raihan shouts out for another of his trainers. Aria sulks off, coming to stand beside Raihan. He pats her head soothingly. “You did a good job,” he praises, and she seems to perk up.

A man who’s barely taller than Aria runs over, saluting when he arrives. “Good, are you up for a battle? I’ve got a Trainer here I’m testing.” The man nods to Raihan’s words. “Great! Get into position, then.” Raihan shoos him off towards the center of the pitch where you’re still standing.

_The buffs we used on you should still be active, but we’ll have to debuff the opponents again._ Aside from Double Team, that as, as she had dropped that the moment the battle was over.

_Nope, I dropped them all,_ she corrects, and you groan.

_Ok, same strategy again, then._ Sebastian throws out two Pokémon as well, a Pelipper and a Sliggoo. _I wonder if they’re another weather team?_ You muse sarcastically, knowing full well they likely are, if what you know is correct. At least rain isn’t damaging.

You follow the exact same strategy, and aren’t surprised when the opponent uses Rainy Day to make it rain. You’re immediately soaked through, but it otherwise doesn’t impact your strategy. Your vision isn’t really limited by the rain, either, so you’re able to execute everything without a hitch.

Espeon makes copies of herself around the opposing Pokémon, weakening them and strengthening herself while the two Pokémon uselessly attack various doubles trying to figure out which one she is. Sebastian seems to pick up which one Espeon teleports to, as he begins instructing his Pokémon to her exact location. He doesn’t always get it right, but he gets it right _enough_ that you’re worried.

_Dazzling Gleam, it’ll take down the Sliggoo,_ you order once Espeon is fully buffed up. You don’t want to get hit, after all, and the longer this goes on, the higher the chance of that becomes. You’re right, the Sliggoo goes down in a single hit, and Sebastian recalls her with a loud sigh. The Pelipper survives the hit, though, as it wasn’t super effective against him.

He knows where Espeon is, too, and flies in to hit her. Espeon manages to roll out of the way in the last minute, the water attack rolling past her harmlessly. She fires off a beam of energy, hitting the nearby Pelipper and sending him spiralling out of the sky. He hits the ground with a loud thud and doesn’t get back up.

“Wow! Two in a row, and still you’re going! Camilla! I need you over here!” Raihan calls out, looking more surprised than before. He likely wasn’t expecting you to go this long.

A tall woman runs over, though she’s still not even to Raihan’s shoulders. It at least doesn’t look comical when she stands next to Raihan. However, she only makes poor Sebastian look even shorter when he walks back over to them after recalling his Pokémon.

“Yes, sir?” Camilla asks, casting a look in your direction. Her icy gazes sends a shiver through you.

“Think you can take on this Trainer here? You’re the last one I can ask.” Camilla accepts Raihan’s request, and marches over to stand opposite you. Quite a crowd has gathered around you at this point, everyone wanting to watch the battle. It makes you nervous. “Begin!” Raihan calls out, and Camilla tosses out her two Pokémon, a Turtonator and a Ninetales.

This is a Sunny Day team, and they’re both Special Attackers, so the distance teleporting to make your opponents run across the big circle won’t work this time. You still use Double Team, but at least the weather effects once again do nothing to you. Aside from make you worry about getting hit by that Ninetales.

Camilla sends her Pokémon into action after clearing up the weather and activating her own. While she’s setting up, so do you, buffing Espeon and debuffing your opponents quickly. Camilla knows your strategy, though, and she figures out which double is Espeon too quickly.

Ninetales gets a good hit in on Espeon, sending her tumbling back, and giving her a burn. You grit your teeth, this isn’t good. At least a burn only affects Attack, not Special Attack, so you aren’t as worried. You’re just worried it’s going to take her out.

You can’t spend as long as you’d like getting ready, as Camilla keeps guessing which one is your Espeon. You need to take out at least one of her Pokémon before you can feel comfortable. When that Ninetales winds up for another attack, you get Espeon to shoot off a ray of Psychic, knocking the Pokémon onto her back. She gets back up, and you sigh.

_Dazzling Gleam, I don’t think it’ll take out the Turtonator, but it should get the Ninetales._ Espeon agrees to launch the attack, hitting both Pokémon with the wide radius of the move. It does indeed take out the Ninetales, giving you more breathing room. _We’ve almost won, though, might as well get the Turtonator too._

Turtonator tries to put up a fight by himself, he really does, but he just doesn’t stand a chance against the strong Espeon. One more launch of Dazzling Gleam, which he can’t avoid, flings him into the ground, knocking him out.

Camilla audibly growls as she recalls her Pokémon, and you sigh with relief. It must be over now, right?

There’s clapping from the spectators watching, and Espeon shortly after that collapses to the ground, too injured to go on. You walk over to her and pet her, but you have nothing to heal her with. Raihan also walks over and crouches down next to you. With a flourish, he pulls a potion from the front pocket of his hoodie. “Need this?” He asks as he spins it around his finger by the trigger.

“Yes, please, she’s got a burn.” You reach out to grab the potion, but Raihan pulls it from your reach with a grin. When you frown at him, he sprays the potion on her himself, tucking the empty bottle back into his pocket.

“Should have her sorted there. I’m impressed, I’ve never seen anyone run the gauntlet with only _one Pokémon_! That Espeon is something else! It’s…Kieran, right?” Raihan asks, confirming your name.

“That’s right. And this is Kassy.” You gesture to Espeon, and she meows as she perks up, not in pain anymore.

“Huh. Not a name I’ve heard in some time.” He has a strange look on his face, and you wonder how much you remind him of the Kieran he once knew. “Anyway, I’ve got one last battle for you, think you’re ready?”

“I thought you said you were out of Trainers.” You narrow your eyes at him, suspicious.

“I am,” is the answer you’re given.

“Then who am I battling?” You don’t get it.

“A Gym Leader!” Raihan laughs, clearly amused by his own joke.

“You?” You raise an eyebrow at him, not as amused.

“Don’t see any other Gym Leaders around here, do you?” He taunts again, and you want to roll your eyes.

“Yeah, I’m ready. Well, as ready as I’ll ever be.” You don’t know how this is going to go, but it’s worth a try.

“Great! Alright everyone, off the pitch! To the sidelines! It’s time for the great Raihan to battle and get a victory for this team!” Raihan lets out a wide grin, showing off his snaggletooth as he pulls two Pokéballs out of his pocket.

Out pops a Gigalith and his Flygon. So he’s using his Gym team against you, because you know from watching various battles that he doesn’t use his Gigalith on his regular team. So he’s not going full out on you. You’re a bit relieved at that, honestly, as a battle against the greatest Gym Leader in the region is still a terrifying battle.

Gigalith’s Sand Stream ability causes a sandstorm to whip up immediately, and you groan loudly. Your vision is limited, and so is Espeon’s, so you get her to use her Double Team Teleport combo to get started. It’s harder to see her move to different doubles with the sandstorm, so you hope that handicaps Raihan as well.

It seems it does, as his Pokémon both miss Espeon, and you get her to continue with focusing on buffing herself. Raihan will have more than two Pokémon, after all, so it’s important to increase the damage Espeon can do first and her defences as well, even if that means she gets buffeted around by the sandstorm longer and take more damage.

Raihan quickly also grows frustrated with how hard it is to hit Espeon. In fact, they completely lose sight of her at times in the sandstorm, as she’s so tiny that when thick clouds of it come up, they completely obscure her. You keep your eyes mostly closed to avoid the sand in your eyes, using Espeon’s to see instead. It’s a little disorienting to you, but it works well enough. It’s harder to tell how far away Raihan’s Pokémon are from her this way, however.

You get Espeon to use Calm Mind then Fake Tears, finishing off getting ready to start nailing these Pokémon with some powerful hits. _Use Grass Knot on the Gigalith, then Teleport a ways away._ You hope Grass Knot takes out the heavy Pokémon in one hit. Would be convenient.

A tangle of greenery shoots out around the Gigalith’s feet, wrapping around him and tangling. When he tries to move, it takes him down to the ground harshly, making a loud bang ring out across the pitch. Gigalith isn’t done, however, and now both Pokémon know where Espeon is.

A quick Teleport gets her to avoid the Flygon’s next attack, and Gigalith is only just standing as Espeon is ready to attack again. _Try Dazzling Gleam this time. It’ll hit them both._ It does, knocking Flygon out of the sky and rendering Gigalith unconscious. Raihan recalls his Gigalith and sends out a Sandaconda in his place.

_Take out the Flygon before we start debuffing again. Use Dazzling Gleam once more._ Espeon is getting good at knowing what you want her to do before you even order her, as she begins charging up Dazzling Gleam before you even finish issuing the order.

The move takes out Raihan’s Flygon, and the man growls. “Already in a corner? No matter, Duraludon will finish this!” Raihan reaches into his pocket and tosses out his last Pokémon. Or, at least, you assume it’s his last Pokémon, if this really is his Gym team.

_Ok, now we break into the debuffs again. Start with Fake Tears, then move on to Charm._ Espeon begins crying, weakening both Pokémon. Raihan just grins, recalling his Duraludon.

Fuck.

“Time to Gigantamax and finish this!” He shouts, enlarging Duraludon’s ball with his Dynamax band. You don’t have one of those. You really don’t have a strategy for this.

Raihan launches the ball behind him, taking a selfie as he does, and it breaks open, revealing the massive skyscraper-shaped Pokémon. _I don’t think there’s any way to dodge Dynamax moves,_ you warn over the bond.

Espeon wants to quit.

Your only chance is to get that Duraludon down before he hits you. However, you have no super effective moves against him, so the chances of that are slim. _Dazzling Gleam is still your strongest move against this thing, even if it’s not super effective. Do that!_ The move hits both Pokémon, but it doesn’t knock either out. You begin limping to the side of the pitch to get out of the way of the moves after Raihan glares at you and points to the side of the pitch.

“Time for G-Max Depletion! Finish that Espeon in a single blow!” Raihan yells, a wild grin across his face as he knows he’s got you cornered.

There’s nothing you can do. There’s no way to dodge the massive move. You can only watch on in horror as Espeon is sent flying from the hit, the doubles all disappearing at once. She hits the ground heavily, and you _feel_ your connection with her suddenly cut.

In all the time you’ve been here, that’s yet to happen. You’ve never put her back in the Pokéball you were given for her, and no one you’ve battled has been able to knock her out like this. To have the connection suddenly cut like that makes you want to vomit. You almost do.

You collapse to the ground and sob, worried about Espeon. “ _KASSY!_ ” You cry, using your cane to struggle back to your feet and run over to her. Well, more like hobble as fast as you can.

Raihan walks over to her unconscious body, meeting you there. He wordlessly hands you a potion as you collapse next to your Pokémon. She doesn’t immediately come to, but as you pull her into your lap and hold her, tears leaking from your eyes, she slowly does, and you feel as disoriented as she does. A small laugh leaves you regardless, your worry about her dissipating in the laughter. She’s alright.

Raihan’s giving you a strange look, and you’re not sure why. “Alright, kid, I’m impressed. The fact you could last so long against me with only one Pokémon, and that I had to Gigantamax to get you… It takes serious skill to go toe to toe with the great Raihan! I’d love to endorse you for the Gym Challenge! Unfortunately…on principle, I can’t. Not without a second Pokémon.”

Your heart falls at Raihan’s words. “Why not?” You’re sure it must show in your face, because Raihan’s face softens.

“Because you can’t truly double battle! I only endorse those who can double battle. You’re _good_ , sure, but I can’t judge your double battle skills with only one Pokémon. Don’t look so down, though!” Oh, so it’s totally showing in your face. “I plan to help you catch a second Pokémon!”

“Really?” You can hardly believe it, this is great news.

“Yeah! It’s my job to help strong Trainers get into the Gym Challenge, after all. I see you going far, as well. I think you could handle a pretty strong Pokémon, too, so I think I’ll take you out into the Wild Area to look for a Pokémon.” Raihan puts his hand under his chin as he looks down at you, a sly look on his face.

“I’ve never been in the Wild Area,” you admit, as it’s technically the truth. You may _remember_ a time when you went in the Wild Area, but that may not be you, and it may not even be true. It could all be just a dream that’s strangely accurate to reality.

“I should hope so! You can’t go in until you have three Gym Badges. But if you’re with someone who has completed the Gym Challenge, or a Gym Leader, or someone like that, you can go in without three badges. So I can take you!” Raihan gives you a wide grin, sticking his thumb out and pointing it at himself.

Huh, you know that, too. Why is all this information so accurate? “Ok, I’m looking forward to it!” You smile back, standing with your Espeon and helping her up onto your shoulder as you grab your cane.

“Great! We leave tomorrow, so I’ll get you a list of the things you’ll need to get before then.” Raihan gestures for you to follow him. “Come with me, we’ll talk more in the back. Let these folks get back to training.”

You hobble after him, leg sore after running on it to get to Espeon quicker. You follow him to a room in the back of the Stadium with a table and chairs, and you’re thankful to crash into one of them.

“Thought you might want to sit. Now, you got a phone?” He asks, pulling his own out.

“Yeah.” You dig in your pocket and pull yours out as well.

“Hand it here.” You pass it into his empty hand, and he holds it near his. After tapping on the two phones at once for a while, he hands the phone back to you. “I added myself to your contacts, and sent you that list of things to buy.”

You glance down at your phone, open to a message with Raihan. In it is a long list of things to pack for your trip. Will you have enough money to buy all these things? “I, err.” How exactly do you bring up something like that? “I might not have enough money to buy all these things…” Might as well be honest.

“How short do you think you are?” Raihan asks, raising an eyebrow. You shrug, as you have no idea how much this stuff is going to cost. “Text me if you need money, I can send you what you’re short.”

“Thank you.” It’s honestly very generous of him to offer.

Raihan shrugs. “I get it. I don’t mind, I’ve got more funds than I know what to do with half the time.” If it’s supposed to be humble, it sure doesn’t sound it.

“What about the other half of the time?” You prod, vaguely curious about where his money goes that he _does_ spend.

“To the one arse in this region who actually fucking needs it but won’t fucking take it,” Raihan grumbles before changing the subject. Is he talking about Piers?

The two of you talk out more details of the Wild Area trip, namely the rules Raihan expects you to follow and how long it will be. “We’re not staying longer than a week, but we’ll head back in as soon as we get you a Pokémon. If I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it. No questions, no back talk, just do it. The Wild Area is an incredibly dangerous place, and it’s my job to keep you safe out there. If you start disobeying me, I’ll turn us around. I expect you to listen, you got that?” You nod. “Good.”

He sends you on your way after that, having to get back to work. You’re a little frustrated, as you had been hoping to get to talk to him a little more than that, and maybe ask about Kieran a little to see if you really were her or not. However, Raihan is too busy for that today, but at least you have this Wild Area trip coming up. You’ll have more time to talk to him during that.

Heading out of the Stadium, one of the first things you do is call your boss. You’re going to need the time off for this. Will you even get the time off for this? Calling him up, you explain what’s going on, and he grumbles. You’re in better standing there now that you’re one of the battlers, so you’re not _as_ worried about losing your job, but you still are a bit worried.

“Fine, but only because it’s Gym Leader Raihan. I don’t want to make the café look bad. This better help your battling out.” So at least you get the time off.

You begin looking up stores that sell the things you’ll need on your phone, slowly walking around the city to each store and collecting all the items you need. You do have to ask Raihan for some money, and he transfers it to you without asking any questions. You’re thankful, but you only ask for what you need. Your savings are completely wiped now.

It takes the rest of the day at your pace, but you get it all done and packed in your bag by the time the sun has set fully. This leaves you wandering back to the Center you’re still staying at in the dark. It’s not too bad, Hammerlocke is well lit by streetlamps.

It’s hard to get to sleep that night, as you can’t stop thinking about how excited you are. You could be very close to proving whether you’re really Kieran or not! You could be so close to finally improving your life situation! You toss and turn in your bed, heart racing at the thought of what’s to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually used the legit Gym Trainers and their teams for this. So Espeon is a _little_ over leveled for Raihan's Gym Mission. Only a little. I promise. Cross my heart. This is totally not me projecting my dying cat into a fictional story what are you talking about. 
> 
> I actually got the idea after watching a steamer play a Pokemon Randomizer and try to buff up a Pokemon to take on Roxanne in Emerald. Just watching this low level fight become an epic struggle as they tried to use X-Items to raise all their stats enough, then launch into one-shotting everything after surviving so long against the first one... It was just amazing and gave me ALL THE IDEAS for battle. So Espeon super buffs to take on these Pokemon. And Raihan is going easy on them, if that wasn't apparent.
> 
> We're finally getting to where the plot is moving! How exciting!


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still without a beta reader so if you're interested in that, please hit me up in the comments, on Discord (MightyMage#8983) or Twitter (@MightyMage5)

Your alarm goes off way too early the next morning. You barely slept, too excited for today. You get up and shower, getting ready for the day, because you’re still excited even if you’re tired and yawning through the whole thing.

At this point you’ve been staying so long at the Center that they promise to hold your room for you, so you can leave some of your belongings behind. You don’t have to take _everything_ with you every time you leave anymore, which is nice. Taking a wheelie suitcase and a cane everywhere is obnoxious. Leaving it behind is such a relief.

Raihan calls you up not long after you’ve gotten ready, giving you instructions to meet him at the Hammerlocke gates out into the Wild Area. You agree to meet him there, pulling it up on your phone and walking over there.

“Morning!” Raihan calls with a wave when he sees you. He looks more casual today, in track pants and lacking his bandana. He’s still got his oversized dragon hoodie on, however, one hand stuffed in the pocket.

“Morning,” you yawn, still tired yourself. Raihan lets out a small chuckle.

“Still tired?” He raises an eyebrow at you.

“Didn’t sleep well, yeah,” you answer, rubbing at your eyes. Espeon rubs against you to comfort you. _She_ slept well, she doesn’t understand why you didn’t.

“Excited or nervous?” Raihan teases, and you huff.

“I’m not answering that,” you maintain, crossing your arms. Your cane falls over, ruining whatever cool aura you might have been presenting. Espeon helpfully picks it up with her psychic powers, righting it at your side.

_Thank you,_ you push to her, and she starts purring in reply.

Raihan just grins at you. “Both, then.” He decides, and you groan.

“Are we going yet?” You ask, leaning against your cane.

“Yeah, alright, we can.” Raihan turns and begins heading towards the stairs. “He’s with me.” He gestures with his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at you. The man standing guard with a Tyranitar nods to Raihan and you, letting you both pass.

“Thanks for this, by the way,” you pipe up as you head down the stairs. You struggle down them a bit as there’s no railing, but at least you have your cane to lean against to keep your balance.

“Yeah, no sweat. You going to be ok?” He nods towards your cane.

“As long as we take breaks, yeah.” Raihan groans softly, but nods his head.

“Fine, yeah, we can do that.” He’s got both his hands tucked in his pockets as he heads down the stairs. He waits for you at the bottom, letting his Pokémon out of their balls as he does. You recognize the Haxorus he lets out, and you remember reading about how Raihan took former Champion Kieran’s Haxorus when she went missing. You wonder if you can connect with the Pokémon and find anything out. As you _push_ the thought across, you’re hit with a wall. Haxorus has no desire to connect with you. Frustrating.

When you reach the bottom, Raihan begins walking away, and you have to follow. He keeps glancing back at you, and you think he’s trying to match his pace to yours slower one. It must be a bit of a struggle for him with his long legs.

“So where are we going out here? Are we looking for specific Pokémon?” You ask, looking up at him.

“Not really, though I am using this to scout a bit. Do my actual job, you know? So we’re just going to follow one of my scouting paths, and whatever Pokémon we come across are what you get to pick from.” Raihan rolls his shoulders, glancing down at you once before looking back ahead.

“Oh yeah, you have to keep an eye on the Wild Area and all, huh?” If your ‘memories’ are right, Leon once told you about this while you were in the Wild Area with him. Raihan reports to Leon, if you remember right.

“Yep. That’s part of being the Hammerlocke Gym Leader.” Raihan looks around, sending his Pokémon out a bit to help him scout.

You want to ask about Kieran, but you can’t just cut to that. How to get the topic in that direction, though? “Do you like being a Gym Leader?”

Raihan shrugs. “Sure, I guess. I’d rather be Champion though.”

“Yeah, I’m sure everyone feels that way.” How to get the topic to Kieran from here? “So I’m guessing Leon is, like, your rival?”

“That he is. I’ve still yet to whoop his arse, but one day.” You might have an in here.

“Has anyone successfully beat Leon?” That’s right, pretend you don’t know. Then he’ll bring up Kieran.

“Sure, a few have.” A few?! That isn’t what you are expecting.

“Who?!” You have to know, now. Though getting to Kieran is still important.

“Well, the first person to ever beat him was the former Champion, Kieran. After her, Piers was the next one to beat him. Now _that_ was an epic battle, probably my favourite I’ve ever seen. Highly recommend watching it if you get the chance. Then Hop whooped him once, but that wasn’t in an official match. I saw it, though, so it still counts!” Raihan laughs, rolling his shoulders.

Piers and Hop both beat Leon at some point? Interesting. “Um, about Kieran…” Shoot, you didn’t think though what you’d ask about before you start speaking.

“What about her?” Raihan asks when you trail off into silence.

Maybe her injury? You know about that, so maybe if your knowledge lines up, it’ll check out. There’s also a bombshell to ask about, but you don’t want to bring _that_ up unless you have to. If you’re wrong, and bring it up, you could land yourself in some deep, hot water. “She was injured, right? How’d that happen?”

Raihan’s look sours slightly. “Uh, an accident in the Wild Area.” Checks out, but it’s incredibly vague. “Why do you want to know?”

“Uh,” you stall, unsure how to answer. “Well, I’m injured, so learning about another injured trainer is, uh, useful.”

Raihan nods, but doesn’t look convinced; his eyes are still narrowed. “Right. She’s a touchy subject,” he informs you, turning his gaze back ahead.

“Oh, I didn’t know, sorry. Is that because you dated her?” It slips out before you can stop it.

Raihan bristles. “What the hell are you on?” He yells, glaring at you. “She was a good friend who I lost! Don’t be a fucking dick, man.”

Ok, yeah, you fucked that one up. His reaction proves nothing, either. “Sorry, just a rumour I read,” you lie, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I _just_ said it was a touchy subject, and you think bringing up a rumour is a good idea?” Raihan pulls his lips into a fine line, his eyes still narrowed.

“No, it’s not that, but weren’t you with her before she went missing?” According to your memories, Raihan is the last person to see her alive.

“What the _hell_ are you talking about?! Just drop it already, before I turn us the fuck around,” he warns darkly, a menacing look on his face.

“Alright, sorry, I won’t ask about her anymore…” you mumble, sulking.

Raihan rolls his eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to scout, I’m leaving you with you with Goodra. Stay on the path and don’t touch anything.” He lengthens his stride, easily leaving you hobbling behind him. He doesn’t even have to break into a run to escape you. He gestures for his Pokémon to follow him, leaving you with Goodra.

You feel bad, as you really hadn’t meant to upset the man. You had managed to confirm nothing, too. What to do? You slow your pace, as you no longer feel obligated to keep up with your taller companion. Your leg hurts, so you think to take a bit of a break.

Raihan asked you not to touch anything, but you want to rest your back against something while you sit. You find an outcropping of rock to lean against, and sag back against it. A sigh escapes you, content to rest for a bit. But then the rock behind you shifts, and you fall over as it suddenly gets up.

It’s a Stonjourner. A scream escapes you, mostly out of surprise, but a bit out of panic. It’s about to smash its hand down into you when Goodra shoots it with a blast of water. The wild Pokémon recoils, crying out in pain and stumbling backwards. You use this opportunity to grab your cane and get yourself to your feet.

Raihan comes running back from up ahead. “What the hell is going on?!” He shouts, sending another Pokémon after the wild Stonjourner. You wince, and stumble over in his direction, Espeon following at your heels.

“I, uh,” you struggle, glancing over your shoulder at the retreating wild Pokémon, sensing a battle it can’t win. “I leaned against it?”

“What did I _just say_ about touching things?!” Raihan looks more exasperated than angry, but his eyebrows still furrow down in fury.

“Not to?” You squeak.

“No shit! Do we have to go back?” The Dragon-tamer crosses his arms, glaring down at you.

“No! I’m sorry, I’ll behave! I just wanted to rest for a bit…” He’s good at making you feel bad for this.

“Then sit on the grass! Fuck… Flygon, help keep him out of trouble, please. I have a job to do. You take a break.” There’s a finality in Raihan’s tone that tells you this isn’t up for negotiation.

“Ok, sorry,” you apologize, scratching your arm. Raihan only snorts before leaving once again, taking most of his Pokémon with him.

You huff, sitting down on the grass and resting for a while. You lay back and look up at the clouds, watching them roll by. You _feel_ Goodra and Flygon keeping watch, so you feel safe enough to close your eyes and rest. You don’t sleep or anything, just let your mind wander while resting your leg.

After doing that for long enough, you get up to keep going. Only, you don’t remember the path Raihan went down, and neither do Raihan’s two Pokémon he’s left with you. It’s not like there’s just one path, there’s sort of multiple of the windy, partially trodden paths. You know Raihan said to stay on the path, but that was for when you _knew_ which path. You’ve forgotten while resting.

You and Raihan’s Pokémon sit there trying to think for a while before picking a path you think Raihan went down. You’re not going to catch up to him, anyways, so he’ll come back and find you eventually. Maybe you should stay and wait, but you’re also out here to find a new Pokémon partner, so you should be searching for one, too, while you have the energy to do so.

Your grumbling stomach tells you to take some time to think on this over food, so you sit down with your Pokémon, and Raihan’s, and pull out your new cook pot. Goodra and Flygon collect wood to build a cookfire and rocks to line the pit with. Espeon stays with you and helps you prepare ingredients, useful from her days of helping you out in the kitchen at work.

When Raihan’s Pokémon return, you build the fire and dig some matches out of your bag to light it. Flygon carefully helps you fan it to get it going, and then you set the pot up over top of it and begin the process of cooking. You’ve never cooking in a cook pot like this before, but you figure it out relatively quickly, your experience at work really helping you out.

By the time you’re finished, it’s smelling good, and the Pokémon all agree it tastes as good as it smells. The group of you eat and clean up the food, washing the dishes when you’re done, which Goodra is a huge help with. You pack everything back away in your bag, and grab your cane, getting up to begin walking, as it’s what you decide on doing. Raihan still isn’t back, so he must be waiting for you ahead.

As you travel down the path, you encounter a few wild Pokémon. Raihan’s Pokémon step up to deal with them, much to Espeon’s relief; she doesn’t want to fight if she doesn’t have to. You don’t need to give them any direction, they just spring into action on their own. It’s a bit of a relief, as you’re not sure how to command the powerful Pokémon, anyways.

However, none of the Pokémon you fight with want to stick around. You seem to remember Leon saying something about the Wild Area Pokémon liking being wild, if that is information you can trust. It’s getting hard to tell sometimes.

It’s getting later, and you still haven’t encountered Raihan. His Pokémon are getting worried, and so are you, so you decide it might be best to sit and wait. Maybe wandering further out was a bad idea. You massage your leg while you wait, looking up at the setting sun. Your stomach grumbles; maybe you can whip up a meal to eat while you wait.

You finish eating with still no sign of Raihan. Odd, but also worrisome. You decide to turn back and head back the way you came, just in case. You don’t have to go far, either, as you see one of Raihan’s Pokémon ahead. Well, Flygon sees it, as he’s taken to the air to try to spot Raihan. You begin heading in that direction, hoping to meet up with Raihan.

You hear him shouting for you before you see him. “Raihan!” You call back, and you hear him curse loudly.

“Fucking hell, Kieran! Where the fuck did you go?!” When he crests the hill and you get a look at his face, he looks furious.

“I tried following the path!” You wail, leaning heavily against your cane.

“The wrong fucking path! We’re way off course! I’ve spent the entire day searching for you!” You wince, as you really hadn’t meant to get lost.

“I thought it was the right one, I’m sorry… I knew I should have waited where you left me…” You just hope he won’t take you back.

“It’s too fucking late to take you back tonight, but we’re going back in the morning. You can’t listen.” Tears well up in your eyes at his words.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying my best to listen, I really am! I was listening to your Pokémon! Please don’t take me back yet! I really need that endorsement!” You beg, looking at him sadly. It hurts so much that he might cut this trip short.

“Then stop acting like you have two brain cells! This place is fucking dangerous! I’m taking you back in the morning! I can’t risk you getting hurt under my watch!” He snaps, looking away from you and out over the cliff behind him, opening out into the Dusty Bowl below.

“I’ll listen, please!” You fall to your knees, partially to beg, and partially because your leg hurts.

Raihan only rolls his eyes. “We’re setting up camp for the night. This isn’t up for discussion. Get off your knees, don’t make an embarrassment out of yourself.” His words cut you. You fall back onto your ass, your cane dropping in front of you.

“Isn’t this a little close to the cliff, though?” You ask, but Raihan ignores you.

Your travelling partner begins digging his camping supplies out of his bag, setting up his tent and pulling cooking tools out. He gets his Pokémon to help, and when he’s done, he looks over at you, still on your ass. “Do you need help?” His voice drips with disdain.

“Yes, please,” you whisper, dropping your bag from your shoulders. He at least actually helps you, digging out your tent and helping you set it up.

“Just stay there if you’re in pain, I got it.” He’s really good about your injury, at least, even if he’s being kind of mean about everything else.

“Thank you,” you reply, massaging your leg as you sit and watch. When he’s finished, you help him cook up some food for himself and his Pokémon. It’s the least you can do after he helped you with your tent.

When silence washes over the two of you, you think to bring Kieran back up again. Might as well use this time to try to find out what you can, right? “How did Kieran do the Gym Challenge if she was injured?”

“Seriously? She just did it.” Raihan’s answer is pretty useless to you.

“But she was injured, no? Wasn’t it really hard for her?” He shrugs at your words, his eyes closing.

“What are you implying? That she shouldn’t have been able to do it?” When he opens his eyes again, he’s glaring at you.

“No, not at all! Well, maybe? I mean,” you stumble on your words, Raihan’s eyes only narrowing further.

“She was _fully capable_ of anything she put her mind to. How _dare_ you imply anything else. She fucking _saved Galar!_ ” It’s clear Raihan’s angry with you, his tone dripping with malice.

“I just wanted to know a bit more about her, that’s all! I never meant to imply anything bad about her!” You cry, lamenting the way this conversation is going.

“And I _told_ you earlier, drop it.” Well that sucks. How are you supposed to find out more about her when Raihan doesn’t want to talk about her?

“Ok,” you sigh, frowning slightly. How do you go about confirming anything when Raihan won’t let you ask about her?

“I’m out here to help you get a Pokémon, that’s it. And you blew that. You’ll have to go somewhere else for your endorsement, now.” There’s a note of finality in Raihan’s tone that lets you know he’s made his decision on this.

“I’m sorry.” You know it’s too little too late, but you still try.

Raihan just makes a sound of disappointment in response. “I’m sure you are. It still doesn’t matter to me. You already blew it.”

Silence washes over the two of you after that, Raihan finishing up his meal quietly with his Pokémon. You help Goodra wash dishes when they’re all done, feeling guilty. Raihan plays with his Pokémon while you do, and when you’re done, you and Goodra join him.

Espeon is batting at a feather on a stick that Raihan waggles for her, so you come to sit beside him. He doesn’t shift away from you, so you take that as a good sign.

“She’s strong, you’ve trained her really well. I can tell you two have a close bond. Which was something I wanted to ask you about.” It sounds like he’s calmed down a bit, his voice back to a lighter tone.

“What about?” You ask as Espeon stands on her hind legs to reach at the stick when Raihan raises it away from her.

“You weren’t giving her commands in battle. At least, nothing I could see. No vocal or sematic instructions. It’s hard to fight against you, because if I hadn’t watched your earlier three matches, I would have had no clue what you’re doing. You’ve got a good strategy, by the way. It was pretty impressive to watch you take out my top three Trainers in a row like that. That’s something Trainers have to do for my Gym Challenge, you know.” Raihan looks at you despite still waggling the toy for Espeon.

“I did know, yeah.” Well now that he points it out, it checks out with the games and your memories. “What are you asking me, though?”

“I’m getting to that. I’ve only ever known one other person who could do that, and I want to know if you’re doing the same thing she’s doing. Can you, like, sort of connect with Pokémon and, uh, _feel_ what they’re feeling and thinking?” You can tell Raihan is trying to pull this description from memory, as he stalls and drags out his words while he thinks of what comes next.

“Yeah, I can.” Is he implying Kieran could do it, too? That might actually confirm something.

“Huh. Just as reckless as her, too,” Raihan mutters under his breath, and you barely catch it.

“What?” You prompt regardless, and Raihan waves you off.

“Nevermind. No wonder you were able to roll over my Gym Trainers. I’m sure if you had a second Pokémon, you could have taken me down, too. It’s not that I don’t believe in your ability to do the Gym Challenge, because I think you’re more than capable of completing it. It’s that I don’t trust you to. Listening to instructions and staying out of danger are important parts of the Gym Challenge. As you are, you could roll over Kabu’s Gym team no problem, and you’re not ready to be out here in the Wild Area on your own. So I can’t endorse you. I’m not going to call up anyone else who can and tell them not to endorse you, but I’m going to trust that you _won’t_ seek out an endorsement until you’re actually ready to be out in the Wild Area on your own.” Raihan’s words make you bristle. 

“Doesn’t Kabu teach you how to go out in the Wild Area properly when you beat him, anyways? Are you saying I can’t ever learn?” Now it’s your turn to be offended at his words.

“No. But I don’t think Kabu’s lessons are enough for you. You need common sense first, and that’s not something Kabu can teach. Go get other experience, first. Try travelling along the routes, where it’s safer, and see if you’re even capable of that. You may not be.” You want to turn on Raihan and glare further, but he gives you no opportunity, as he stands after that.

“That’s not fair to imply!” You call out, angry he could think your injury would hold you back like that.

“Oh, I’m not talking about your injury. I’m talking about _you_ , and staying out of trouble,” Raihan rebukes, turning back to you and crossing his arms. From where you’re sitting, so close to the ground, Raihan is a giant, leering over you intimidatingly.

Should you tell him about your trips into the Slumbering Weald? “I’ll have you know-” maybe not, if he asks why you were there, you have no good explanation for him. “I’m fully capable of taking care of myself on the routes. I’ve done it before.”

Raihan raises an eyebrow at you. “Oh really? Luck, I’m sure,” he scoffs, and you glare at him.

“I’m not a _complete_ idiot. I _can_ actually take care of myself, shockingly. I’ve done it the whole time I’ve been here in Galar.” It’s been nearly two months now, and you’ve managed to make it here all on your own that whole time, with no one to rely on but yourself and your Espeon.

“Alright, so you can take care of yourself. Call me surprised. I’m still not endorsing you. I don’t think you should bug another Gym Leader for an endorsement, but I can’t stop you from doing so.” Raihan shrugs then, turning towards his tent.

“Well I’m going to do so,” you fire back, crossing your arms. Espeon comes to sit in front of you, wanting to continue playing with the toy Raihan took with him. She paws at your leg to get your attention, wanting you to ask Raihan for it. When you don’t immediately look at her or reach out and pet her, the claws come out, and you wince in pain as she digs them into your shin. “Ow. Can I have that stick toy thing? She wants to keep playing with it.”

Raihan snorts with amusement. “You know, I thought you had her pretty well trained. Maybe it’s more _she_ who has _you_ trained.” He tosses the toy in your direction anyways, before turning back to his tent again.

“Are you going to bed?” You ask, and Raihan shakes his head.

“Nope. Just getting something out to play with my Pokémon, too.” He crouches down next to his bag that’s sitting beside his tent. He digs in it for a bit before pulling out a purple ball. He then proceeds to fling it one handed out towards his Pokémon, and a few of them give chase.

You dangle the feather toy for Espeon again, and she stops shredding your leg. “Yeah, you’re right. About her having me trained.” Raihan snorts again at your words.

“Still, you two make a good team. She’s _strong_ , to down Pokémon with a single hit, even if she was using moves that are strong against her opponents… That still takes great skill. The fact that I felt I had to Gigantamax Duraludon during a bout like that should tell you all you need to know. If you had beat me… You would have technically done what’s required of you to beat the Gym Challenge. Your skills are no joke. How long have you been training together?” Raihan sounds impressed, his tone holding a tinge of wonder.

If you tell him one month, he’s not going to believe you. “Well, I’ve had her most of my life,” you admit instead, and Raihan nods, accepting this answer.

“Close bond, years of building that trust, yeah. Flygon and I are the same, though I’ve had Duraludon for a long time, too. It really makes a difference for strength.” Raihan gazes out at his Pokémon as one finally brings the ball he threw back.

Which is when you actually catch a look at it. Leon’s cartoon face is blown up on part of the ball, and it looks ridiculous. You can’t help the laugh that bursts out of when you see it. Raihan gives you a questioning look, so you point to the ball through your laughter.

“Oh, right, this?” He asks, holding it out. You nod, and he continues. “Yeah, this was a gag… We tricked him into producing them as merchandise, and then he wanted to _not_ sell them when he _actually_ saw the finished product… Needless to say, it did not get to hit store shelves, but _all_ his close friends kept one to torture him forever. He tried to have them all destroyed, but we saved every last one of them. They’re stored somewhere in Spikemuth because Leon will never find them there. And Piers knew an empty warehouse there that we could keep them in.”

“That only makes me want one,” you laugh, and Raihan hands you his.

“Always trying to get them out across the world. Here, keep it. But throw it for my Pokémon for a bit, first.” Raihan gives you a grin, showing off that tooth of his.

“Thanks,” you reply, trying your best to huck the ball as far as you can. It doesn’t go that far, so Raihan’s Pokémon fight over it a bit before bringing it back. You let Raihan throw it after that, though he still gives you the ball at the end when you’re done.

When the sun has full set and the stars are all out, Raihan stretches and gets up. “Well, I think it’s time for bed, now. Have a good night. We’re still going back in the morning.” You frown at his words, but you know there’s no point in fighting this.

“Ok. Again, for what it’s worth, I really am sorry.” Raihan waves you off, heading off towards his tent. He crawls in the entrance, disappearing inside. You sigh deeply when he’s gone, getting up and heading towards your own tent. Raihan’s Pokémon begin making themselves comfortable around the tents, content to sleep outside under the stars.

Crawling inside your own tent, you get ready for bed with Espeon. She curls up by your feet, as usual, and you slide inside the sleeping bag you’d got. The ground is a little hard underneath you, even with the added thin foam bed roll under you. While you try to fall asleep, your mind wanders.

Raihan is awfully mad at you for things you can’t control. You had waited for him, and you hadn’t really _touched_ anything, more like leaned against something, and he didn’t warn about that… It feels unfair, as you had tried your best out here. You had followed his instructions as best you could, and he is still upset with you. It almost feels like you were set up to fail, but after the nice chat you had with Raihan earlier, you don’t think that’s true.

And you don’t even have a new Pokémon to show for it. How unfair. You wish this all could have gone better than it did. Now you’ll have to try going to Motostoke, as well. At least there is still a chance to do the Gym Challenge.

Sleep eventually claims you, though it’s troubled and easily disturbed. You wake up every time Espeon shifts, or any time you hear something outside your tent. It’s frustrating, as you’re not even afraid of what’s out there, you just can’t sleep. Espeon gets up at one point to go outside and go pee, and you roll over as you try to fall back asleep.

You’re starting to doze back into sleep when you _feel_ it. Something is _really really wrong._ You feel _pain_ , and then this feeling of weightlessness. Espeon lets out a yowl from outside your tent that quickly fades. You’re not sure what’s going on, but you know Espeon is in danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My canon is that Raihan has back issues due to his height, cuz apparently that's actually pretty common. That's why he's always rolling his shoulders or straightening his back. 
> 
> Raihan is very touchy about Kieran, I wonder what happened between them? Not like we're ever going to know any time soon, that doesn't come up until the _very end_ of Certain Darkness. Hope you're good at being patient lmao. 
> 
> Also that cliff hanger man wow I'm a dick. Get excited for tomorrow, the next chapter is wild.


	6. Chapter Five

You shoot out of your sleeping bag, scrambling out of the tent with a scream. “ ** _KASSY!_** ” You don’t have a lot of time to figure out what’s going on, but you sense Espeon getting farther away. She’s in the air, so you lock eyes with Raihan’s waking Flygon.

_Please help me,_ you beg him, and the Pokémon nods. He lets you climb onto his back, and quickly takes off in the direction you can sense Espeon’s fading presence from. You see Raihan scrambling out of his tent from the corner of your eye as you take off, and he swears and screams at you as you take off. “What the fuck are you doing?! Get back here!” His voice is quickly lost to distance, however.

Faster than whatever has Espeon, you and Flygon catch up quick. Problem is, you’ve never flown on the back of a Pokémon. At least, _you_ don’t really remember doing so, even though you _remember_ doing so. It’s complicated and confusing. Those may not be your memories, though, and they aren’t helping in this situation much. You cling to Flygon’s neck, and he flies low to the ground as the two of you scout for whatever took Espeon.

You can’t see shit, it’s too dark, so you mostly focus on hanging on for dear life and tracking where Espeon is through your bond. Whatever has her has figured out something is chasing it, as it’s speeding up and making sharp turns to try and lose you.

Flygon isn’t easily deterred, however, and is determined to catch this Pokémon. Espeon is in a lot of pain, the claws of whatever has her digging into her, causing her to bleed. She’s scared, and slowly losing consciousness. _Please hang in there_ , you beg, scared for her. You don’t want anything bad happening to her, but she very well could die here, through no fault of your own. You don’t want that to happen; you’d do anything to keep that from happening.

She’s your partner, who’s been with you through thick and thin. You’ve had her most of your life, you weren’t lying when you said so earlier. She means the world to you, and you don’t know how you could go on if you lost her. She’s your baby. You’ve raised her, taken care of her, bent over backwards to meet her every need. You’ll stop at nothing to save her.

It’s entirely possible Flygon is picking up on this, as he spurs on forward, banking a turn as the wild Pokémon suddenly turns. You’re getting closer, even as the Pokémon dodges and tries to evade you. It’s scaring Espeon, but you aren’t sure what you can do to stop that from happening other than save her. You have to catch up, first.

The wild Pokémon turns into your path, and you finally get a glimpse of what the wild Pokémon is. You _think_ it’s a Braviary, but it’s hard to tell in the dark. The shape and colouring are right, but it’s a bit washed out in the darkness of the night. It doesn’t really matter _what_ it is, as it has Espeon.

You’re about to order Flygon to attack the Braviary to get it out of the air, when you think better of it. Or Flygon thinks better of it, or Espeon, it’s hard to tell right now with all these heightened emotions. If you attack the Braviary, you’ll hit Espeon too, and from this height, if they go down, the hit could kill her. You need a different plan.

You need to get Espeon out of its claws, and have something beneath the Braviary to catch Espeon. Flygon isn’t confident he can attack the Braviary and then fly underneath it in time to catch Espeon, or that you’d even be able to _catch_ Espeon, as the Braviary might keep a tight grip on her. It’s too risky, you can’t do it, which is frustrating.

You need help, is what you need. But you can’t go back and get Raihan without losing the Braviary. How do you get help, then? You needed to stay with the Braviary to keep track of Espeon. If only Raihan had another Pokémon that could fly! You’d still have the problem of how to get Raihan _here_ , though.

How to send Flygon back to get Raihan? If you get on the back of the Braviary, that would solve both your problems. Flygon would be free to go get Raihan, and could find you again through your ability to connect with him. You could try to get Espeon out of the Braviary’s grip, too.

It doesn’t even cross your mind how stupid this idea truly is. All you’re thinking about is saving your partner Pokémon. Logic doesn’t matter much right now, there’s no place for it.

Instructing Flygon to get above the Braviary, you get ready to figure out how to jump down onto it. You’ll have to jump a bit ahead so you fall onto it as it moves. This is terrifying, as if you fuck up, _you_ will be the one to die. It’s worth it to save Espeon, though. You’d do anything for her.

Flygon gets ahead of the Braviary, flying above it. The wild Pokémon tries to fly away, and you realize you’re going to have to be incredibly quick if you want to be able to land on it before it turns away. No time for hesitation. Only one chance. Flygon will try to catch you, obviously, if you fail, but there’s a chance he won’t be able to do so.

Getting ahead of the Braviary again, you quickly swing your legs over the side of Flygon as you pass above it. You jump the moment you see its head.

You miss, but only barely. You hit its wing and cling for dear life. This sends it spiralling with you and Espeon, and you’re hoping it’ll let go of her while this happens. It doesn’t, but while it’s upside down, you manage to grab around its neck and shift yourself to its body.

While spiralling, it hits a tree. Your back takes the impact, and you scream out in pain, but keep your hold on the Braviary. It’s heading into a thicket of trees to try and lose you and Flygon, which is fine, as Flygon is going to get Raihan, anyways.

He’s not comfortable leaving you when you’re barely hanging on, but you push through to Flygon, _I need the help._ He gets it – he’s more help with Raihan – so he flies back towards your camp to go grab his Trainer.

You just have to hang on and last until they get back. Which may be harder than it sounds, and it sounds pretty hard. This is life or death now. You keep a vice-like grip around Braviary’s neck as it bashes into various things to try and lose you.

It _hurts_ , so much. Every hit makes you cry out and cough, winded. The only positive is sometimes the Braviary hits itself when trying to bash into trees with you, not used to flying with something on its back. It’s not enough to be truly helpful, however, as it’s still strong enough to keep hurting you.

You’re trying to choke it out, but you’re not having much success. Its neck is thick, and despite how hard you squeeze, you don’t seem to be limiting its air supply. Espeon is hurting badly, as he keeps squeezing her to keep his grip on her. You’re not sure how to make him let go, either.

One flip the Braviary does causes you to be able to get your legs around its torso, giving you a better grip on the wild Pokémon. This feels more secure, and you kick hard around its midsection to cause it pain.

It momentarily lessens its grip on Espeon, and you cheer before you realize that, if it let go of Espeon from this height, she would fall to her death. You have to wait for Raihan to get back with Flygon. Which, hopefully they get here soon.

You expand your awareness, trying to track down Flygon, searching for his presence. It’s hard when you’re also focusing on hanging on, but it works; you _feel_ Flygon, and that gives him your location. He changes course and heads towards you, Raihan on his back.

As Raihan gets closer, you can hear him shouting. He’s shouting for you, and throwing in some choice curse words while he’s at it. It doesn’t matter to you, as long as he’s finally here, so you can get Espeon out of Braviary’s claws.

“What the FUCK are you doing?! What are you thinking?! You’re going to get yourself killed!” Raihan shouts, as Flygon lines himself up underneath Braviary.

“Saving my Pokémon!” You shout back. “Now get ready to catch her!”

“What?! What the fuck, Kieran?! This is insane! You need to get down from there!” Raihan fires back, his voice raising an octave in shock.

“No time! Have to save Kassy!” You just need a way to do so. You need Braviary to let go of her, but just kicking it didn’t work enough to make it let go of her. You need to hurt it _more_.

“No! It’s not worth your life! Get down from there! _You_ need to jump!” Raihan’s still shouting, but you’re ignoring him.

Flygon can’t be the one attacking, he would have to be too far away to be able to aim at the Braviary, and then wouldn’t be able to get underneath in time to catch Espeon. Espeon thinks she has enough strength left to fire off one attack, but you’ll be hit, too.

_Do it_ , you tell her, bracing yourself. “Get ready Raihan! Now!” You shout, kicking as hard as you can as Espeon fires off a Psychic blast up at the Braviary. It cries out in pain, and does indeed let go of Espeon from the blast. She loses consciousness, so you aren’t sure if Raihan catches her or not.

Because you’re going down. Braviary is spiralling out of control, and Raihan is screaming, and so are you, so you can’t tell what he’s actually saying. You and Braviary hit a tree, and he rights himself.

_Raihan caught her. She’s bleeding out._ You _feel_ Flygon tell you through your bond with him, and you’re thankful for the update, though it scares you.

_You need to get her to a Center,_ you reply, before raising your voice to tell Raihan. “Get her to a Center! She’s dying!” Your voice rips out of your throat painfully.

“Not until I get you off that Braviary!” Raihan’s voice is a bit far away as Flygon tries to catch up to the Braviary.

Flygon is too small for you to safely jump onto while Raihan has Espeon. There’s no way for him to catch you, and Flygon is barely big enough for two riders as it is. You’d send all of you to the ground. “Can’t! There’s no space and there’s no time! You need to get Kassy to a Center as soon as possible before she dies! _Please_!”

“NO! I’m getting you off that Braviary! It’s not worth it!” You hate that he implies Espeon’s life is worth less than yours.

_Flygon, please take Espeon back to a Center, please! I know Raihan wants you to save me, but I’ll be ok. I’ll figure this out. Espeon doesn’t have the time to wait for us to figure out a way to get me down. Save her! And come back for me when you’re done!_ It’s a big ask, directly telling a Pokémon to disobey his Trainer’s orders, but Raihan leaves you no choice.

Flygon can tell how much this means to you, and decides that yes, he will disobey to save your Pokémon’s life. He doesn’t have high hopes for you making it through this, but he can tell how much this Espeon is loved, and decides saving her is worth it. _I will be back to save you_ , he promises, before flying off in the direction of Hammerlocke.

“Flygon, no! Turn around! What are you doing?! Kieran what are you telling him-” his voice trails off from the distance after that, and you’re relieved. Espeon is hopefully going to be ok, because they’re going to hopefully reach help in time. You just have to survive on the back of this Braviary until then.

Which is easier said than done. This Braviary wants you dead, because now _you’re_ supper, so he’s actively trying to kill you at this point. It’s difficult for him, as he can’t really reach you, but he tries to bash you against trees as he can tell that hurts you. If you don’t fight back, he’s going to take you out, so you begin kicking, and you keep that vice-like grip around his neck going.

You and him are in a battle to the death at this point, as even if you get off him, he’s going to try to kill you. You may not have the option to survive until Raihan and Flygon get back, so you may actually have to take him out. You have no idea how, but you’ll figure it out. You pull from the rage of Espeon getting hurt. She’s dying right now, and it’s this Braviary’s fault. If she dies because of him, you’d never forgive yourself if you let this Braviary get away with it.

He’s hungry, _so_ hungry, so he’s not as strong as he normally would be. You can _feel_ his hunger, because you know it’s not yours that you feel. It occurs to you that you’ve bonded with this Pokémon, and you wonder if you can use this to your advantage. You begin to get a sense for why this Braviary flew past an army of dragons to grab your Espeon; he’s just that hungry. It was worth the risk to him, as he needed the meal. He’s starving, he hasn’t eaten in a long time – he can’t even remember the last time.

He’s been ostracized from the flock, which means he’s been cut off from his food supply in their territory, the Dusty Bowl. Stuck searching for food on the outskirts, he saw your Espeon and thought, _finally_ , _a meal_. He had ignored the danger of the Pokémon around her and grabbed her. What he hadn’t been expecting was you to give chase.

You realize the reason he’s so slow and easy to catch up to, and so weak is because he’s dying. He doesn’t have that much longer left to live if he doesn’t get food. He’s literally starving to death due to being kicked out of his hunting grounds. It makes your heart pang for him.

_Why?_ You want to know why he got kicked out of his flock. In return, you’re shown images of a strong, proud Braviary who wants to be the very best of his flock. He aggressively challenges every Braviary in his way, sometimes multiple times in order to win. The other Braviary don’t like this, and gang up on him. He manages to hold his ground for a while, but eventually realizes they intend to kill him. He has to turn his back – which is something Braviary don’t ever like doing – in order to survive. He refuses to die due to being ganged up on so cheaply like that. He wants to die like a warrior, in a fair battle.

Which is why he acknowledges you as a true foe. You’re holding up against him, and he respects that. He can sense why you’re doing this, too, and it earns his full respect. Being willing to die for anything, let alone for someone else, shows true strength in his eyes. Having a cause willing to die for is something this Braviary can get behind. He admires your bravery, how you can challenge him and stare down death just to save someone else.

_You know, if you don’t kill me, I can get you more than just one meal. I can get you lots of meals. You wouldn’t ever have to worry about food again,_ you bribe, thinking quick on your feet to get out of this situation. If the two of you can come to a truce, that would be ideal. You get to live, he gets to live, and that’s what you both want at the end of the day. To live.

_Ever? Food forever?_ He questions, wondering what your motives are. You assure him that you sincerely want both of you to live through this. You’ve formed a strong bond with him, so you understand and respect him like he understands and respects you.

_We both respect each other, right? All I want is for both of us to live. It would be such a waste of this bond, too. That’s all. I have no further motivation than to help you live._ It’s true, you can feed him; you can get food for him and bring it to him.

_Alright. What would I offer to you, though? Why help me for nothing in return?_ He’s still suspicious, and it’s not like you blame him. He’s a wild Pokémon, they don’t naturally trust humans out here.

_You can fly me around if you like? I really don’t need anything in exchange. I just want to help you survive. I admire that strength you have, and how you want to be the best._ It would be nice to have a flying companion, sure, but you don’t want to entrench on this Pokémon’s freedom.

_I understand. This seems like a fair exchange. I will help you when you need._ He’s flying lower to the ground now, in a straight line, no longer trying to knock you off and kill you. You think you could get used to travelling like this. It’s exhilarating to be flying, the wind in your hair and roaring in your ears. You can’t see anything, as it’s too dark, but Braviary can.

And he sees other Braviary. You both get this sinking feeling in the pits of your stomachs at the same time. He knows the two of you shouldn’t be able to see other Braviary, as you’d been flying away from the Dusty Bowl originally.

_I must have got turned around while trying to dislodge you, and flown back into Braviary territory while we were distracted._ At least you get some kind of explanation for what happened, and why the two of you ended up here.

Still, you have a problem now, as you’re kind of surrounded. You can’t fly back out, as the way back is blocked, as well. You can tell they don’t intend to let you leave, either, as they still want that Braviary you’re riding dead. If you weren’t scared before, you are now, as you aren’t sure how to get out of this situation.

Your eyes are useless, so you close them to focus on seeing out Braviary’s. You’re looking for a gap, a way out, some form of escape, but the flock of Braviary form a tight net, keeping you locked in the center of it. They drive you down, trying to ground you, and send you straight into the cliff Hammerlocke faces off of. You have no escape now, as your backs are literally against the wall.

Hammerlocke is _so close_ , too. If you could just get up over the cliff, you could get to Hammerlocke safely. It’s too late now, as Braviary crashes into the ground from an attack from above. You’re flung from his back from the impact, rolling away and into the cliff wall. You struggle to your feet using the wall as a Braviary dives down at you. You’re able to dodge out of the way, but you stagger and fall back to the ground.

The Braviary you rode on gets back up as more Braviary surround him. _We have to fight back if we want any chance of surviving! Do you know any Rock-type moves?_ You ask him over your bond, and he moves to peck at the birds attacking him.

_Rock-type move? What’s that?_ Oh dear, this isn’t a good sign.

_Like…_ You’re trying to think of a way to describe how to use a Rock move. Can Braviary even learn Rock moves? No time to think on it, only time to try. _Can you fling rocks at your opponents? Surround them with boulders?_ You describe a couple Rock-type moves you can think of, and Braviary thinks he can try it. You’re surrounded by rocks, after all. What’s the harm in trying to fling some?

The Braviary trying to attack you gets in and rakes its claws down your arm as you try to wave your arms in an attempt to chase it off. Your Braviary digs into a nearby boulder, and flings it at the enemy Braviary as you scream out in pain. The hit knocks it right out of the sky, and your Braviary thinks he gets the idea. He’s able to pull more boulders from the cliff face behind you, and sends them flying at the enemy Pokémon.

You don’t want to be useless either, so you pick up a stone and throw it as hard as you can at another Braviary trying to get at you. There’s so many of them that when one goes down, more just replace it. Your Braviary instructs you to get behind him to stay safe, and you continue trying to toss rocks at the enemy Pokémon while using the cliff behind you to keep upright.

You focus on instructing Braviary where to aim and who to hit, helping him take down more Pokémon and dodge incoming attacks. He’s pretty good at keeping them off you, but not completely. A few manage to break through and attack you, raking claws across you or pecking at you.

After one gets your back rather painfully, you collapse to the ground with a cry. Braviary crouches over you, determined to protect you. _I wanted to go down in a fair fight, but having a cause to die for is still worthy enough to me. I will protect you to my last breath._

You sniff and nod, even if he can’t see it, but he can feel your emotions through the bond. You don’t want him to die, but you don’t want either of you to die. You might not get that choice, however, as Raihan likely won’t find you here. The two of you had been going in the opposite direction when he’d left you. You’re going to die out here.

You hope Raihan will take care of Espeon. Or someone will take care of her. You hope she lives, because she deserves to have a long, happy life. You wanted a long, happy life for yourself, too, and for this Braviary. The tears streak down your face as you toss another rock at an enemy Braviary. It seems to be doing a bit of damage, so you keep it up, even from your place here on the ground.

Neither of you are going to give up. You’re going down fighting. _We can’t win, but we can be a thorn in their sides until the end,_ you maintain, and he agrees.

_Like the briar bushes the Eldegoss we eat hide in,_ he adds in. He’s getting tired, and so are you, and you’re both really hurting. You wonder what will get you first, the blood loss, or the wild Pokémon. Braviary seems sure it’ll be the wild Pokémon for him.

You’ve accepted your fate when you hear a loud roar above you, and then a bright beam of energy is fired down at the flock of Braviary in front of you. You _feel_ Flygon before you see him, and relief washes over you. You’re going to be saved!

Raihan rides down on his Flygon, a small army of League Staff on various Flying Pokémon following him. They all send their Pokémon into battle as they land on the ground on the other side of the Braviary flock. Slowly, the Braviary sense a losing battle, and begin to scatter.

Raihan charges over to you when there’s a break in the swarm, shouting your name. You begin to feel dizzy as he collapses next to you, wrapping his arms around you. You’re sure he’s shouting something, but it sounds like your head is under water and you can’t make out what he’s actually saying. Everything begins to fade as black takes over your vision.

What you aren’t aware of is that you’ve lost consciousness. Raihan picks you up, and when enough of the Braviary have been chased off, brings you back over to Flygon. He sets you up on Flygon’s crouched down form before jumping up himself. He then turns to his help, and begins instructing them.

“Our camp and the rest of my Pokémon are just up the ridge there. You six, head over there and pack up out stuff. Here’s their balls to recall them, they should come with you just fine if you have them. I have to get this _fucking idiot_ to the Center before he bleeds out. Let’s go!” He shouts, his Flygon taking off with a powerful thrust of his legs, heading back to the Hammerlocke Center once again.

The Braviary that fought with you tries to follow after you, worried for you and still wanting his food. You _did_ promise him, after all. The League Trainers try to chase him off, but he only hangs further back to dodge, determined to follow them right to Hammerlocke.

Arriving there, Raihan quickly hands you off to the waiting team of doctors who rush you into the Center. Raihan’s about to follow after them, to find out how you’re doing, as well as Espeon, when he hears an all too familiar shout.

_“RAIHAN!_ ” The angry voice calls, and Raihan’s shoulders slump as he sighs deeply.

“Ok, who fucking told him…” he mutters under his breath as he turns around to face the furious man. “Yes, your majesty?” Raihan drawls, turning up the sarcasm just to piss this man off further. Raihan is a man who likes to push buttons, after all.

“What the _fuck_ happened?! I get a call saying you took someone out into the Wild Area and they _almost died?!_ Raihan, _how?!_ ” The Champion roars, arms crossed across his chest as he glares up at Raihan.

It makes Raihan feel much smaller than he ever should rightfully feel at 6’8”. “I don’t know, Leon! Honestly, I took him out there to help him catch a Pokémon-” Raihan gets cut off by one of the League Staff manning the gate. She runs over, arms waving above her head.

“Gym Leader Raihan, sir! We have a problem!” She must not recognize Leon, as she doesn’t address him.

“Great, what is it, now?” Raihan rolls his eyes as he asks sarcastically. Leon glares at his companion, but the Dragon Leader ignores him to focus on whatever has come up.

“We’re not done, Raihan,” Leon warns, and Raihan throws his head back with a groan.

“Obviously not! Can you let me deal with one emergency at a time, though?” He shoots back, before running after the woman who called him over.

She leads him to the front gates, where a few League Staff are trying to get a wild Braviary under control.

The same one that followed them back.

The same one that Raihan remembers was standing over the body of the Trainer that got him in this mess.

“So what’s the problem?” Raihan asks, looking at the clearly distressed Pokémon.

“We can’t chase this Braviary off! It wants to fight to the death, and we don’t want to kill it!” The woman cries, and Raihan sighs.

“I think it chose a Trainer and is waiting on him,” Raihan muses, amusement in his voice. “Just keep it contained here, for now. As long as it isn’t attacking anyone unprovoked, there’s no problem.” The woman nods, and runs back over to her companions to share the instructions. Raihan sighs deeply as he hears the heavy footsteps of Leon come up behind him.

“Dealt with?” He asks, and Raihan nods as he turns back around.

“Yes, so now ream me out,” he mutters sarcastically, and Leon only seems to grow angrier.

“You took an _unprepared newbie_ out into the _most dangerous part of the Wild Area-_ ” Raihan cuts Leon off before he can go further.

“Whoa, whoa, it wasn’t the most dangerous! I didn’t take him to the Lake of Outrage!” Raihan reminds him with a grin, knowing he full well he’s being an arse for no real reason other than to further piss Leon off.

“ _DO YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW?!”_ Leon roars, and Raihan only grins wider. Exact reaction he wanted.

“Obviously not, you care about the fact that a man is bleeding out in the Center,” Raihan helpfully points out, still smiling. This only makes Leon angrier.

“HOW CAN YOU BE SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS?! HE’S _DYING_ , RAIHAN!” Leon bellows, shaking with fury. “UNDER _YOUR_ WATCH! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!”

“I dunno, I think the name Kieran is cursed. I mean, come on, another one? What are the odds?” Raihan knows he’s taking this a lot lighter than he should, but he’s having fun with aggravating Leon. It’s a good way to de-stress after everything he’s been through tonight.

“I am _this_ close to revoking your Gym license. This is _not a fucking game,_ Raihan.” Leon’s tone takes a deadly serious note to it, and it makes Raihan swallow thickly. Ok, so he’s crossed a line.

“Look, I really don’t know! We set up camp for the night, and suddenly I’m woken up by him screaming. I get out of my tent, and he’s on my Flygon, taking off-” Leon cuts Raihan off this time.

“He _stole your Flygon?!”_ Leon demands, his fists gripped so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

“Yes, and took off after a wild Pokémon that took his Espeon. A Braviary. After a bit, Flygon comes back without Kieran, and wants me to get on. My first thought is he did something stupid and got hurt, so I let Flygon fly me over there. But by _Arceus_ , was I wrong! He didn’t _do_ something stupid, he was still in the middle of doing something stupid! He was on the back of a wild Braviary, trying to get his Pokémon back! He yelled at me to catch her, and I did, and then he made Flygon go back to the Center here in Hammerlocke against my permission! Then I sounded the alarm when I got to Hammerlocke and collected some people to go searching for him. We found him in the Dusty Bowl, with probably every Braviary from the area going after him. We chased off the Braviary, I grabbed him, he promptly lost consciousness, so I never found out more. That is _all I know_ , Leon,” Raihan finishes, sighing deeply when he’s done.

Leon listens to the whole story, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “Flygon went back to Hammerlocke without you ordering him to?” Leon clarifies, and Raihan nods.

“That’s right. I wanted Kieran to jump off, but he insisted he couldn’t. He was probably right, looking back at it, there wouldn’t have been enough room on Flygon to actually safely catch him… Still, I was thinking of taking down the Braviary by getting it to ground, then he could have safely gotten off it and we could have saved his Espeon. But he had a different idea, and made Flygon listen to him over me!” Raihan shakes his head, still a little mad at Flygon for disobeying him to listen to a stranger. It’s so unlike him, and it has Raihan a little shaken. Why did his Pokémon do that?

Leon shakes his head. “Why did you take someone so reckless out there?” He sounds disappointed more than mad now.

“I was going to take him back tomorrow, too! He didn’t listen to me while we were out, either. He wandered off, and aggravated a wild Pokémon after I told him not to, but by the time I’d found him after he wandered off, it was already too late to be going back, so we just set up camp. I didn’t know he’d do something _that_ stupid, or I would have had Flygon fly us all home!” Raihan complains, grumbling about how awful the man was to go camping with.

Leon looks up at the sky. “Just pray he survives this,” is his answer to that.

Raihan looks back over his shoulder, looking towards the Center down the street. He stares at it a while, worried about the man in there fighting for his life. As if he willed it so, the man in question comes out of those very doors, clinging to a cane as he holds himself up. “Looks like I don’t have to pray much longer,” Raihan pipes up, tossing his head over his shoulder to gesture for Leon to look in that direction. “The problem child himself is alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is such a dramatic chapter that actually made me cry while writing it because I'm a BIG BABY. Finally, we meet Leon! He doesn't seem too happy though... 
> 
> I put a ton of effort into this scene, in all the planning and writing and everything. When I was initially planning how I wanted this fic to go (man the original is nothing like how it ended up), this was one of the scenes that cemented the new direction my fic went off in, and I couldn't be happier. It turned out way better than my original, and I'm so glad I spent _months_ planning this out before I started to write it. 
> 
> I hope you're all enjoying this so far!


	7. Chapter Six

You wake up in a hospital bed. The smell hits you first, before the sound of beeping machines does. There’s a doctor by your bed, wrapping you in bandages. Everything hurts, but you try to shift to get a better view of what’s going on.

“You’re up! You must be in pain, we haven’t given you any pain killers yet,” the doctor explains, and you nod.

“Where’s Kassy?” You ask. He gives you a strange look, and you must seem crazy to him. “My Espeon. She was hurt really badly. I imagine Raihan brought her here, too. How is she?” You ask, scared to find out. He seems to understand who you’re asking about, as recognition lights up his features.

“Ah, yes, she’s still in surgery, I’m afraid I don’t know her current condition.” It’s better than her being dead, at least. “Raihan said he would like to speak with you when you woke up. I believe he left, however.” The doctor finishes bandaging you and steps back. “There, all wrapped up.”

“Thank you. I can go find him, I’d like to talk to him, too.” You move to get out of the bed, noticing no wires or tubes attached to you yet.

“Ah, are you sure you’re able to do that?” He questions as you stand. You wince with pain, and have to hold onto the bed to keep your balance.

“If I have a cane? Yes. And maybe some pain meds.” The doctor nods at your request.

“I can arrange both of those things. Please, have a seat until I get back.” He gestures to the bed, and you sit back down. He leaves the room then, to go fetch your items. It doesn’t take him long to return with a cane hanging off his arm, a small cup you might get ketchup in at a fast food restaurant, and a small glass.

He hands you the small ketchup cup first. “Here’s your pain meds.” Inside it are two yellow coloured pills. He hands you the glass next as you toss the meds back into your mouth. You swallow down the water greedily, thirsty after your endeavour tonight. “And here’s a cane. Please come back here when you’re done with Raihan,” he requests, and you nod.

“Of course, I still have to get Kassy, after all.” He seems to accept this answer, as he hands you the cane then. You stand using it, and you have to really lean into it to walk, but you can manage. Of course a Braviary had to get your bad leg. It hurts a lot, as the pain meds haven’t kicked in yet, but you make it out of the Center eventually.

You’re thankful you don’t have to look far to see Raihan. He’s down the lane, over by the gate to Hammerlocke. He turns to face you, and he waves to you when he sees you, gesturing for you to come down there. You sigh deeply, but begin making your way down the road.

You don’t immediately recognize the man standing beside Raihan, but you feel like you should. It looks like the two men are fighting from a distance, and the one you don’t recognize looks incredibly angry. You have a bad feeling about this, but continue over there regardless.

“Ok, first!” Raihan shouts as you get closer, seeming to cut off his companion. “He deals with the Braviary. _Then_ we can ask questions,” he decides, crossing his arms.

The man beside him scowls. “You aren’t the one making the decisions here, Raihan! You!” He rounds on you as you come to a stop a short distance away.

You gulp thickly. “Yes?” You squeak, nervous already for what this is going to entail.

“What the _fuck do you think you were doing?!_ ” The man yells, and it’s then you realize you recognize him. The eyes, combined with that voice, it has to be Leon. You’ve seen him this angry before, after all. It’s shocking how real the memory suddenly feels when it’s confirmed Leon really _is_ like that.

“Saving my Pokémon,” you state seriously. If he’s going to be mad at you about that, you think he can shove it. There’s no way you’re going to regret attempting to save your Pokémon’s life.

“By _putting yourself at risk! And other people and Pokémon!_ ” His voice is loud, and it causes you to flinch involuntarily.

“Yes, I put myself at risk to save my Pokémon. And I’d do it again. I won’t regret that, ever. The only thing I’ll regret is if she doesn’t make it.” You’d cross your arms, but you need to cling to your cane to keep standing. You narrow your eyes to get the same point across.

“You _idiot!_ How could you be so reckless?! What’s the point of saving her life if you lose yours?!” He demands, and you frown.

“Well, she can keep living on. She deserves to live a long, happy life.” It’s not something you really thought through fully. You just wanted to save her at the time.

“And you think nothing of her grief! She’d likely pass on from the grief of losing you! Then what was the point of all of that?! You lost your life for nothing!” Leon bellows, eyes alight with rage. His hands are balled in fists as they shake in front of him.

“Oh.” You hadn’t thought of that. You didn’t know that could happen. “Well, what if she didn’t?”

“Then who would take care of her?! She’s a domesticated Pokémon with no Trainer to look after her! What do you _think_ would happen to her?!” Leon occasionally throws his fists in large motions of anger while speaking.

“Uh, she’d get adopted?” You’re honestly not sure how that works in this world. Do they have Pokémon shelters here like they have animal shelters where you’re from?

“If she’s lucky! So you recklessly attempted to throw your life away to save her, with no plan! What the _fuck_ were you thinking?!” You shrink under Leon’s glare, feeling attacked.

“I had a plan!” You shoot back defensively.

“Oh really? Share with the class, why don’t you!” Leon fires back, crossing his arms.

“Leon…” Raihan breaks in, looking uncomfortable.

“Stay out of this, Raihan! We’re not done, either!” So Leon is still angry at Raihan, too.

“My plan? Uh, was…” Well this is going to be harder to explain than you thought. “I got Flygon to help me catch up to the Braviary that stole Kassy, and then jumped on it to try to ground it. But I wasn’t heavy enough for that, so then I tried to get Kassy out of his grip. But, uh, I needed someone to catch her, so I got Flygon to go get Raihan, and then got Raihan to catch her. Then she was bleeding out, so I needed them to get her the medical attention she needed, so I got Flygon to go back to Hammerlocke-” Raihan cuts you off.

“Against my permission! I wanted to stay and try to save you!” He adds, pointing at you accusingly.

“There really wasn’t going to be a way to do that! I thought I could bond with the Braviary and convince him to put me down, which worked. Or I was planning on struggling with him and getting him to fly low enough to the ground that I could jump off. Either was a solid strategy, but one worked before the other so I went with that one. It just, uh,” you stall, and before you can continue, Leon is cutting you off.

“It did _not_ work! You nearly died! And provoked the entire flock of wild Braviary! Do you even understand the kind of damage you’ve done?! How many resources you’ve wasted due to your _carelessness?_ ” Leon accuses, leaning closer to you and making you shrink back.

You look up and meet his eyes, though. “ _My_ carelessness? I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware I was in charge of finding a safe spot for us to camp, despite the fact that it was my first time out in the Wild Area! I’ll be sure to remember for next time,” you shoot back sarcastically, rolling your eyes.

“ _Yes, your_ carelessness! Your Espeon should never have been in the path of a Braviary! What was she doing and where were _you_?!” He leans in close enough to jab a finger at your chest, and it hurts a bit.

“Oh, so now she can’t ever go pee in the middle of the night? Again, no one fucking _told me_ that, or I wouldn’t have let her! And I was _asleep_ , because it was the _middle of the fucking night_.” You’re getting a little tired of the accusatory remarks, as you’re confident you are not in the wrong here.

You’re not the one who set up your camp far too close to Braviary territory. Because Leon is right, Espeon should never have been in the path of a Braviary, even one travelling outside of its territory. Raihan failed his due diligence in finding a safe camping spot.

“Don’t be a fucking smart arse, you should have got up to go out with her!” Leon snarls in your face, making you take a step back awkwardly, as your leg doesn’t want to fully hold you.

You wince in pain as a result. “I don’t think that would have made a fucking difference! Raihan’s Pokémon were all out there sleeping, and Espeon was right in the middle of them, and that Braviary _still_ dove in, past all those strong Pokémon, to take her! I wouldn’t have been any more of a deterrent than Raihan’s Pokémon!”

“Raihan’s Pokémon were _asleep,_ and _you_ should have been awake with her!” Leon repeats, and you groan.

“I’m trying to tell you, _I’m not the fucking problem, here_. We never should have been close enough to a Braviary to begin with! The camping spot was bad!” You insinuate, getting more frustrated.

“Whoa, don’t try to throw this on me!” Raihan fires back angrily, glaring at you.

“This is _not about the camping spot_ , you _absolute fucking simpleton!_ This is about how, when a wild Pokémon made off with your Pokémon, your first instinct was to _steal someone else’s Pokémon_ to go after it, then _jump onto the back of a wild Pokémon_ with _no_ help or backup! That isn’t something _experts_ do, let alone complete amateurs! What the _hell_ were you thinking?!” Leon demands, ignoring your complaints.

“I was thinking about _saving Kassy!_ I would do _literally anything_ for her! You aren’t telling me that, if your partner Pokémon’s life was in danger, you wouldn’t do absolutely everything possible to save them?!” If he’s going to raise his voice, so are you. Two can play at this game.

“Not at the detriment of my own life! Because then it’s pointless! My Pokémon would still die from the grief, and I’d cause unnecessary amounts of grief on everyone close to me! Think of those who love you!” Leon has no idea you have no one here who loves you.

“Jokes on you, no one does! No one would care if I dropped dead! Except my boss, who would show up to my funeral to yell about how short staffed I left them.” You add it more as a joke to lighten the mood, because you realize you’ve made it sound like you’re suicidal. Which you’re _not_ , at least not right now, so you don’t want them making any assumptions.

“That is _not_ the point I am trying to make! Stop purposefully misconstruing what I’m saying to you! This is about how you _nearly died_! How you _disobeyed orders_ and _put others in danger_! Get it through your head, this is more than just about you!” You grimace, because he does have a point.

“No one is responsible for me but me. I didn’t _make_ anyone do anything. I asked Flygon nicely, and he wanted to help me.” You lower you volume with how close Leon has got to you.

“Oh, I don’t remember ever being asked before anything!” Raihan adds, shaking his head. “You send Flygon to get me, _demand_ my help, then _demand_ I take your Espeon back! That’s not asking nicely!”

“I’m sorry for putting you in danger, but I did what I had to do to save Kassy, and I don’t regret a single thing.” You won’t let them make you regret it, either, because your Espeon comes first. She’s just that important to you. You’ve been through so much together.

“And _that’s_ the problem, because you _should_ regret your actions! They were stupid and misguided, and you’re just lucky you survived!” Leon snaps, angry face very close to yours.

You sink away from the taller man. “Well, I don’t! Because they resulted in me saving Kassy! I’d do it again! I wouldn’t change a thing!” Tears fall out of your eyes, because you’re getting a bit emotional over this.

“Oh yeah? And if she dies still, after all this work, then what?! What will you have proved?! Nothing!” Leon’s words make you flinch, because it reminds you of the very real possibility that she won’t actually make it.

“Kassy…” you wail, breaking off into a sob. You begin crying in earnest at that.

“Oh for fuck’s sakes! Get a damn grip! We haven’t even got to how you managed to aggravate an entire flock of Braviary!” Leon demands of you, grabbing you by the shoulders.

With the harsh look he’s giving you, you realize you need to hold it together or you’ll be in even more trouble. “O-oh, um… Well, after I bonded with Braviary, we flew right through Braviary territory, and he’s not supposed to be there, and they all want to kill him, so they were obviously all ganging up on us to kill us, because I was on his side so I had to die, too,” you explain, voice evening out by the end.

“What? You know what? Doesn’t matter, not important.” Leon gives you no room to further explain. “The point still stands that you were not successful at saving yourself, and only put yourself in _further_ danger when Raihan left you!” Leon barks, shaking you a bit as he speaks.

“Yeah! Every time I left you, you’d manage to get in more trouble! What the hell is up with that?!” Raihan adds, which, he does have a point there. From his perspective it sure would seem that way, anyways.

“I don’t know, this is just a lot of bad luck and bad situations that you’re both blaming all on me!” You retort, glaring between the two men.

Leon rolls his eyes at you. “Because _you’re_ at fault! _You’re_ the reason we’re all here having this talk! There were _so many things_ you could have done differently that would have solved things, and you refuse to acknowledge that you were careless and stupid!”

“Because I was _not_ careless _or_ stupid! I made some incredibly smart calls in split seconds! And _Raihan_ was the careless one!” You’re just going all in on throwing Raihan under the bus for this one.

“It was _not_ Raihan’s fault, stop deferring your guilt! The camping spot was fine, Raihan is an expert out there, he would not have made such a rookie mistake! Which is why it is on _you_!” Leon jabs, finally releasing you with a strong shake that causes you to stumble and lose your balance.

Raihan reaches out and rights you with a glare to Leon. “Whoa, dude, that’s uncalled for,” he warns, voice icy. You lean into Raihan’s grip a bit, wiping at your eyes now that you have the chance.

“I refuse to accept that I was the one at fault here! I followed orders, I did as I was told, I was just unlucky! I did what I could with the instructions I had!” You insist, shaking with anger a bit. You _know_ the camping spot was bad, Raihan was in a bad mood and obviously did not put nearly enough effort into finding a good spot. Which is why this is all _not your fault_.

“Right, like I’ll believe _that_ over Raihan’s account! You’re not helping your case, here!” Leon shakes his head, eyebrows pulled down angrily. No one believes you, no one trusts your account of things.

Raihan lets you go now that you’re balanced, and you cling to your cane again, frowning. “What case? What does it matter what you think, anyways?” You assert, voice rising slightly.

“Oh, it matters a great deal what I think! You’ve greatly reduced your chances for the Gym Challenge with this! Why should I let you take place when you’re such a danger to yourself and others?!” Oh crap, you hadn’t thought of that.

“Because it wasn’t my fault! I didn’t know what I was doing! No one told me anything! I was doing my best with what few instructions I _did_ have from Raihan!” You cry, feeling desperate.

“One of the _first_ things I told you was not to touch anything. And then you _immediately_ touched something!” Raihan cuts in, and you round on him with a frown.

“How was I supposed to know that rock wasn’t actually a rock?!” You had just wanted something to sit against.

“Because it’s the Wild Area! There are things like that! That’s why I told you not to touch _anything_!” Raihan fires back, and you bristle.

“So what was I supposed to sit against, then? Nothing? Just sit on the grass and don’t trust anything?” You bark, glaring slightly.

“ _Yes_ ,” both men respond at the same time, and you jolt slightly.

“Well then there was a fundamental miscommunication on that part-” you begin, only to be cut off by Leon.

“You’re _too stupid_ to understand the instructions, got it,” he taunts, leering at you.

“How dare you?! I am not too stupid! I don’t understand your Wild Area! I didn’t grow up here! I’m doing my best!” You insist, tears building again.

“If that’s your best, it’s pretty pathetic,” Leon sneers, staring down his nose at you.

It makes you feel pathetic. “No, Raihan is a _shit_ teacher, I got piss poor instructions, and I did _damn well_ for how fucked I was going into that situation! I had everything stacked against me, and I’m still here!”

“You only have yourself to blame for your situation, not Raihan! Continue to deflect blame and see where it winds you up!” Leon yells back, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It really _wasn’t my fault!_ I tried _so hard!_ You think I wanted any of this?!” You wail, throwing one of your arms out to gesture around you.

“Of course you wouldn’t want this, who would?! The fact remains that _you_ got yourself in this mess, no one else!” Leon refuses to take your word that you really didn’t get yourself in this mess like he seems to believe.

“But I _didn’t_! And every mess I got into, I managed to get out of! I’m _resourceful_ , not _stupid_!” You will not see it any other way. This was not your fault. “If Raihan had done better, none of this would have happened!”

“That’s it! You’re banned from the Gym Challenge!” Leon roars suddenly.

“What?!” You gasp.

“Whoa, Leon, wait,” Raihan adds in, stepping closer to what’s going on.

“No, Raihan, I’ve made my decision! This is not up for debate! She- _he_ is banned from the Gym Challenge!” Whoa, what was that? Why did he misgender you?

“Leon, that’s too far, don’t you think?” Raihan pleads, ignoring Leon’s slip-up.

“It is _not_ too far, Raihan! It is a perfectly acceptable punishment! Anyone this stupid and careless needs to be kept far away from the Wild Area! You are banned from both the Gym Challenge, and from ever setting foot in the Wild Area again, with anyone!” Leon decides, voice booming.

“That’s not fair! You can’t do that!” You beg, shaking your head.

“I can and I just did! I am the Chairman, and I have the power to do so! You are banned!” There’s a note of finality in Leon’s tone that has you upset.

“No! Please! I need to do the Gym Challenge!” How else are you ever supposed to be able to talk to one of these people long enough to find out anything about Kieran?

Wait, Kieran… Leon knew her really well, but this is not the situation to try to bring her up in. But you shouldn’t be putting yourself on the wrong foot with Leon for the reason of being able to ask about her in the future.

“You should have thought of that before you so carelessly threw your life away like that! You’re lucky you’re alive, but you won’t get the chance to test that luck again!” You sob at Leon’s words, angry and frustrated that this could be taken away from you just like that.

“Leon…” Raihan tries again, reaching out towards the man.

“No, Raihan. This is final. Now, I have to go fill out paperwork for all this. I don’t have time to keep arguing with you,” he turns back to you, “about how _stupid_ you are. Think about your actions in the future.” Leon turns on his heel and walks away with that.

“Tsk, what a jerk…” Raihan mutters, and you turn to him with surprise.

“Whoa,” you exclaim in surprise, “I wasn’t expecting that from _you_.” You’re genuinely shocked he feels that way.

“Well yeah,” Raihan replies with a shrug. “That’s too harsh. Banning you from the Wild Area, sure, I can see that. But the whole Gym Challenge? That’s just cruel, especially for a Trainer of your level. You deserve the shot." It makes you feel better to know Raihan still thinks you’re a good Trainer.

“Thanks. Though I guess that doesn’t help much now.” You sigh deeply, and Raihan scratches his head.

“I suppose not. Oh, right, that Braviary. Come with me.” Raihan gestures for you to follow after him, and he keeps a slow pace you can keep up with.

“The Braviary?” You ask, confused. Raihan had mentioned something earlier, but Leon had cut him off.

“Yeah, that one that followed us in? It was the one you were riding. It’s at the gate, I think it’s waiting for you,” Raihan explains, turning his head over his shoulder to do so.

“Oh, right! I made a promise with him!” You burst out, limping forward a little faster.

“Ah, did you? Is that how you got him to listen to you?” Raihan asks, and as you get closer to the gate and can see Braviary again, you can _feel_ him, too, and feel how hungry, exhausted, and in pain he is.

“Yeah, he needs food and medical attention,” you pass along as you come up next to him. He’s bleeding still, as he hasn’t let anyone near him to treat his wounds. He doesn’t trust these people, but they’ve been keeping him from getting at you. _I’m here now,_ you assure him, reaching out and petting his head. _Let’s get you some food and get you some help for those injuries, ok?_

_Alright, we can do that. I’m very tired._ Comes his reply, and you pat his head sadly.

_You can rest soon,_ you promise, looking around at those around you for help. “Well? Is anyone bringing food or getting medical attention?” You ask, turning back to Raihan.

“With all due respect, sir,” one of the men standing guard at the gate begins, “that’s a wild Pokémon. It should be going back out into the wild, not getting help here.”

You get angry, and so does Braviary, as you promised him help. _Don’t worry, I_ will _get you help,_ you vow, glaring at Raihan. “But he needs the help! If he goes back out there, he’ll die!”

“Does he want to stay with you, then?” Raihan asks with a raised brow, hands tucked in his hoodie pockets.

You turn to Braviary. _Do you?_

_Yes, I think so. I would like to not worry about food. You saved my life, so I owe you mine in return._ It’s strange to think of it that way, but you suppose Braviary is right. You did manage to save his life tonight.

“Yes, he wants to come with me.” You nod to Raihan, and he gives you a small smile before digging something out of his pocket.

“Catch.” He tosses it at you, and as you struggle to catch it against your chest – Raihan has good aim and it’s a soft throw – you realize it’s a Pokéball. So you can officially catch Braviary.

_Going inside this will mean you’re my partner from now on. Are you ready?_ You ask him, holding out the ball so he can see it. He nods once, and you _feel_ his conviction that he’s ready for this change in his life. With a careful toss, you throw the ball against him. It hits him in the head, and with a red glow, he disappears inside the ball.

Your connection being suddenly cut with him feels weird. The ball falls to the ground and shakes around for a bit, before the light on the front clicks green. You bend down to pick it up, wanting to release him right away, but remembering what he said about being tired.

“We should get him to the Center,” you share with Raihan, turning back towards the man. He nods, and gestures for you to follow him again. He keeps pace with you all the way to the Center. “Don’t you have things you have to get to, as well?” You ask him, wondering why he’s still following after you.

“Yeah, I still have some questions to ask you about what happened, and it’s my job to check out you and your Espeon, so I still need to wait around with you to find out her condition.” Raihan shrugs, basically shuffling along at the pace he has to maintain to be slow enough to stay beside you. His long legs don’t make keeping a short step length easy.

“Oh, right.” You nod at his answer, turning back ahead. Espeon is still fighting for her life in there, and it has you worried. You get back to the Center, and let Braviary out inside. He’s momentarily disoriented at the shift of scenery, but quickly adjusts when you explain where you are to him.

Raihan leads you to a bench and has you sit, gesturing for some staff to come over. He updates them on the situation, asking them to look after Braviary. _But I don’t want them touching me_ , he protests, backing away slightly from the approaching nurse.

_You can trust her. She won’t hurt you. She only wants to help you. I promise._ You’re doing your best to assuage Braviary’s fears, but you’re unsure how else to do so.

He eventually lets the nurse treat him, with some work and a little patience. He still isn’t overly trusting of strangers, but he’s learning humans can be ok. He still doesn’t like it, but he understands he’s going to have to adjust if he wants to continue living with you.

“He’s really hungry, too. Would it be possible to get him some food?” You ask the nurse, and she nods, scurrying off to go fetch what Braviary needs. You’re still waiting for a doctor to come out to update you on Espeon’s condition.

_Finally, something to eat_ , Braviary relents when the nurse brings him out a plate of food.

_Thank you for being patient. I’m sorry you had to wait so long._ You reach out and ruffle his feathers while he eats, and he makes a low noise in his throat in contentment.

“So about those questions,” Raihan begins, bringing your attention back to him.

“Oh, right, yeah, ask away, I guess. Not much else to talk about while we wait.” You sigh with a pout, staring off towards the doors that lead back into the rest of the Center, where Espeon is still being kept.

Raihan begins asking you more about the details of what happened, and how it all went so wrong. He still disagrees with your choice of how you went about doing things, but at least the two of you aren’t fighting about it like you and Leon were. He just lets you know he would have done things differently in your shoes.

“If I were you, I would have waited for me to do something about it. I was the expert in that situation.” Raihan gestures with his hands as he talks, elbows propped up on his knees.

“With all due respect, you don’t have the kind of gift I do. How do you think you would have found Braviary and Kassy without my bond? Neither Flygon nor I could see anything, we only caught up to Braviary through my connection with Kassy giving away her location. I was able to direct Flygon with that. There’s no way you would have been able to find her, and Braviary would have got away with Kassy. I made the right call.” You cross your arms, refusing to budge on this fact. You did nothing wrong, you did the best in a bad situation.

Raihan looks thoughtful for a moment. “Hmm… Ok, so you had to take Flygon initially, but you should have waited for me to get out of the tent, then, to go together.”

“Would you, honestly, in that situation, have listened to me in the heat of the moment and let me come along? There wouldn’t have been enough time to explain, either, you would have had to just trust me. Braviary would have gotten away otherwise.” Raihan was firmly on the side of _not_ trusting you at that moment in time, so you’re fairly confident that wouldn’t have worked either.

“Ok, point taken. Still, jumping on the wild Braviary… Sending Flygon back for me was smart, yes, but if Flygon could find you again, Flygon could have found your Espeon again, if you had just stayed on Flygon and come back with him for me once you knew where the Braviary was heading.” So Raihan has a bit of a point.

“Kassy might’ve passed out, though. Then we wouldn’t have been able to find her,” you reply, lips pulling into a line.

“She didn’t pass out, though. And _you_ could have passed out if you were flung from Braviary.” Raihan has another point, and you don’t like it.

“Listen, it’s easy to think of better solutions hours later, when you have the time to sit and _plan_ , but I had split seconds to make decisions that were life or death. I did my best, and made some solid decisions with what I had.” You look down at the floor, fiddling with your hands.

“Jumping on a wild Braviary is _not_ a solid decision in any situation, ever. What you should have done is get on the ground, or somewhere up high, to keep an eye on the Braviary while Flygon went back to get me.” You roll your eyes at Raihan’s words.

_If you weren’t on my back, I could have had an easy meal during the time it took you to get back,_ Braviary points out while he eats. He also has a point, and it invalidates all of Raihan’s points.

“I _just_ said, it’s easy to think of what I _should_ have done now. And if I had done that, Braviary would have thought he was home free and stopped flying around. He would have landed somewhere safe and ate her while we waited. I _had_ to continue to be a threat to Braviary in order for him to not eat Kassy. If I’d got flung off, that would have been it, too, because he then would have been able to escape and eat her. He was just waiting for an opportunity to land somewhere safe and dig in, but we were chasing him and attacking him. I _had_ to jump on him, or continue chasing him with Flygon. I _had_ to keep pressure on him somehow,” you share with Raihan, and he takes a deep breath.

He stares off into the distance for a bit. “Ok, you’re right, didn’t think about that. Then what if you- no, sorry, I’ll stop, you’re right. It’s just… It’s hard to see this happen again.”

“This happen again?” Is he talking about Kieran, the former Champion?

“Nevermind, your recklessness is dangerous. That’s all. It’s hard to see good Trainers do stupid things.” His words are vague enough that they could be about anyone, so it’s no help to you.

You take a deep breath and sigh. “It’s not recklessness. It’s determination. I’m not throwing myself into pointless danger; I’m careful. I just refused to give up, forced myself to find a solution.” You’re ordinarily very careful about things, especially things that could get you in trouble. Being called reckless feels insulting.

Raihan has an odd look on his face. “Determination, huh…?” He mumbles, rubbing his chin. It seems like he’s going to continue, so you wait, but nothing comes.

“Let’s just hope my determination paid off, and that Kassy is going to be fine…” You look off towards the doors to the back again, hoping to see anyone there.

“Yeah, it’s taking them a while. That’s both a good sign and a bad, as it means she’s likely still in critical condition, but that means she’s not dead,” Raihan helpfully points out, and you sigh deeply.

“I suppose you’re right…” It’s still hard to be waiting here with no news whatsoever.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait with you.” Raihan reaches out and gives your shoulder a squeeze, and you quietly thank him. “I keep thinking… If it was my Pokémon… I’d probably have done stupid shit to save any one of my Pokémon, too. In fact, I _have_ … Nothing as bad as you, and your Braviary stunt, but I still sympathize. I don’t think I would have made the same decisions you did, but that might’ve cost me my Pokémon in the process. I don’t want to judge you too harshly over your decisions, because you’re right, you were just doing your best in a bad situation. The more I ask you about it, the more that becomes apparent. I’ll try talking to Leon about his decision, but I don’t see him reversing it. He’s…stubborn about these things…” The way Raihan phrases it, the tone he uses, feels off to you, like he’s not quite telling you the truth there.

“Thank you, regardless,” you reply, looking at him. He gives you a small smile, putting a hand on your back, then he looks away again.

It’s going to be a while before you get any news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leon big angery and does the big yells. This is another chapter where I made myself cry while writing it hahaha. Kieran is stubborn as shit and so is Leon, these fucking idiots. Also, welcome to the team, Braviary! Honest to god this is not how it happened in the original, but I grew attached to this Braviary and just couldn't, in good conscious, kill him off.


	8. Interlude One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today!

Leon walks away from Kieran and Raihan, still shaking from the interaction. He hugs himself as he turns a corner, getting away from them as much as he can. He’s having flashbacks of Kieran, his Kieran, bleeding out in the Wild Area after Sonia took her out there too soon without instruction… And of Kieran, going out into the Wild Area alone over the holiday break, never to be seen again…

He physically shudders, and reaches out to lean against a wall. He’s terrified all over again. What is with the name Kieran and getting stuck out in the Wild Area, alone, and getting hurt? It’s greatly disturbing Leon to know this happened again. He had vowed not to let anyone get hurt in the Wild Area under his watch. And yet, it had happened.

After that whole conversation with the two men, Leon isn’t sure how to feel anymore. He’s entirely freaked out, this whole situation being a bit too much for him. Could it really have been Raihan’s fault? Kieran had insisted it was, but Raihan could never be so careless, could he? Then again, Leon had once thought the same of Sonia, who took Kieran out into the Wild Area nearly three years ago, and she’d almost died out there because Sonia had left her alone with too few instructions.

And Raihan had just done the same. With another Kieran. Left him alone, and he’d almost died out there because he had too few instructions. The situations are just too similar. The similarities don’t stop there, either. It isn’t enough they share a name, or how eerily similar their situations are.

It’s the voice, too. Wrong pitch, but this Kieran _talks_ just like his own Kieran did. It had caught him off guard, and only added to his anger. How dare this imposter also _talk_ like his beloved Kieran?! It had been so disturbing to hear such a similar voice, and accent, and choice of _words_ ; it’s just the way he talks that wholly disturbs Leon. It’s unfair, and creepy, and Leon is still unsettled by it even now.

It’s all adding up to being too much like his love. It makes his heart ache, and his breath quicken. He’s not sure where he is anymore, as he hasn’t been paying attention to where he’s been walking while thinking, just wanting to get away from that fake Kieran. He looks around, not recognizing anything, breathing becoming _painful_ , so he stumbles into an alleyway to escape any prying eyes.

He doesn’t want anyone to see him like this. He’s not particularly worried about getting _recognized_ , he just doesn’t want anyone to fuss over him and possibly make a bigger deal out of this than necessary. He’ll _survive_ , he just needs a minute.

He sinks down against a wall, everything around him black with how dark Hammerlocke is at night. There’s no streetlights shining down this particular alley, so Leon is left alone, cut off from the world, just like he wants to be.

As he sinks to the ground, he wraps his arms around his legs, pulling them up to his chest. He can barely breathe as he feels his panic begin to set in. His chest feels impossibly tight, and no matter how hard he tries, it feels like he can’t get a proper breath in. He shakes, clinging to himself to try to make it all _stop_ , but it doesn’t.

He knows this will all pass, it always does, but that doesn’t make this current panic attack any better. He’s scared out of his mind, fear and paranoia swirling together to create one mass ball of emotion that feels impossible to detangle. He decides it’s better just to _not_ feel, as he dissociates from his body for a moment.

He feels as though he’s watching himself, almost like he’s having an out of body experience. He feels dizzy and uncomfortable, but it’s better than feeling too much all at once. He knows he’s going to have to deal with this in order to calm down, but he just wants the moment to sit here and not feel.

Eventually his own thoughts begin to pull him back into himself as he thinks about Kieran once more. _His_ Kieran, the one he’s sure is still out there, and he’ll find her one day. Not this _fake_ , this _imposter_ , this joke of man he dealt with earlier. He’s still so incredibly bothered by him, and that pulls him back into his body and his emotions.

He sobs once as tears leak from his eyes. What did he do to deserve this kind of pain? Why would this happen to him again? He’s becoming madder at Raihan for letting this happen, but he knows talking with Raihan about it won’t change anything. It happened, and sure the man is safe _now_ , but how can Leon keep him, and people like him, from getting into those situations if even his top Gym Leader couldn’t protect him?

Leon wonders if he himself could have done a better job. He isn’t sure, he wants to think he would have, but he knows he likely wouldn’t have been able to have done much differently. How did such a Trainer manage to convince Raihan’s Flygon to help him, against his own Trainer’s wishes? That’s the part that messes with Leon the most. It’s almost like he can bond with Pokémon in the same way his own Kieran could.

But…the chances of that would be _astronomical_ , wouldn’t they? That also begs the question of _where_ this new Kieran came from, as he claimed he was not from here. There are far too many similarities, and it greatly messes with Leon’s head. They couldn’t be the same person, or this imposter Kieran would have acted differently, Leon is sure. But the way he acted let Leon believe they were indeed two different people.

He would have recognized Leon and _said_ something, Leon is sure. But he said nothing of the sort, so Leon knows this imposter is indeed an imposter. It’s just…the odds are neigh impossible for something like this to occur, and yet it had.

Raihan would have recognized and said something if they were the same person, too. Yet Raihan said nothing, so this leads Leon to further believe they are two separate people with creepily similar situations.

It should be impossible, and yet it happened. Leon shudders, more bothered by this than he wants to let on to. It’s uncomfortable to him that his is happening. He’s sure his decision in banning the man from the Gym Challenge and the Wild Area will protect him from further harm, and hopefully Leon will never have to deal with the creepy man again.

He continues to try to breathe, but he struggles. This is all too much for him; all too similar for him. He couldn’t save Kieran before, she disappeared on him, but maybe this new Kieran he _could_ , and that would make up for his failure to protect his Kieran.

He decides it’ll do, that he’ll keep this new Kieran out of harm’s way in order to make it up to the universe for failing his Kieran. Maybe then he can find her, or find her body. Something to let him know he can stop searching. He misses her so terribly, though, so he desperately wants to find her alive. But the chances after two years… They’re so unlikely, Leon knows, every day the chances are even further reduced.

His breathing eventually evens out, though his heart still races. He still feels deeply uncomfortable, and his body still trembles. He’s at least able to stand now, so he gets up by leaning heavily against the wall. He decides to try to go somewhere safer than this, where he can process this a little better, and hopefully avoid a full break down.

Walking back out onto the street, Leon pulls Charizard’s ball from his waist. He releases his partner, and for a moment, just stares. He takes a deep breath and sighs. What lengths _would_ he go to protect his partner? Leon is sure he’d go to great lengths, but nothing as stupid and careless as what the fake Kieran did today.

He takes a step towards his partner and pets his snout. Charizard huffs appreciatively, and lowers himself so Leon can climb onto his back. “Let’s… Home is probably the best place for now. Let’s get some sleep and deal with this in the morning,” Leon instructs softly, petting Charizard’s neck as he climbs up onto the large beast.

Charizard growls in acknowledgement before taking off, heading back to Leon’s small Hammerlocke flat, so he can get some rest to deal with all of this in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet y'all saw Chapter Six yesterday and thought I _wouldn't_ do Interludes, but you were wrong! I had to delay this one by one chapter, due to the pacing, but the ones going forward will be after every 5 chapters. Next one will be after Chapter Ten. 
> 
> Please enjoy Leon having a meltdown over Kieran instead of the longer chapter you were likely hoping for lol.


	9. Chapter Seven

A doctor finally comes out to inform you of Espeon’s condition. “She’s just got out of surgery, please be patient while she recovers. You’ll be able to see her soon,” he promises, and you sag against Raihan. Even he sighs with relief, hand rubbing your back for you.

“You did it. You really did it.” He sounds like he can hardly believe it, and you can understand the sentiment. You can hardly believe it, either. How did it get like this? You lean your head back, hitting the wall behind you lightly.

“Yeah…” You’re too shocked and relieved to say anything else. Silent tears begin streaming down your face as you sit there. It’s been hard, but you’re just glad it’s all over now. You’re in the home stretch now. You’ll even be able to see her soon! It’s an exciting thought.

“I’ll stay with you until we can go see her, then I’ll have to leave you to go file my reports. You going to be ok?” Raihan asks, raising his eyebrow at you. You nod, not trusting your voice to try and answer him. “Good, I want to get some fucking sleep, too…” He yawns, large and exaggeratedly, before standing and stretching out his muscles.

“Me too…” You can’t help but agree, as it’s been far too long of a night. It’s almost morning, judging by the clocks in the lobby, and you can’t wait to curl up in bed, too.

The two of you sit there quietly until the doctor comes back out and tells you to follow him back to her. Raihan gets up as well. “Oh, before you go, I have your stuff.” He slings the bags off his back, and you recognize one as yours.

“Thank you, I’d totally forgotten with everything going on.” You take your bag from him, and he lets out a small laugh.

“Figures. You’ve got other stuff on your mind. Go see your Pokémon now, and have a good night.” He waves once, before walking off in the direction of the exit.

You watch him go for a bit before turning to follow the waiting doctor. He leads you back to a room where Espeon is being kept, curled up in a small bed. She looks like she’s sleeping, her side rising and falling slowly. You still feel no connection with her, so she must still be unconscious, as if she was dreaming, you’d be able to get a sense for that.

You step up next to the bed, carefully running your hand down her flank. She’s all stitched and bandaged up, so you can’t tell the extent of her injuries, but it looks pretty bad based on all the bandages.

“You’re staying in the Center on the west side, right?” The doctor’s voice startles you, and you jump as you turn to look behind you.

“Yes, that’s right.” This isn’t the Center you’ve been staying in for the last two-ish months, you’ve been staying in a different one.

“We can transfer her there for you, if you’d like to go back there. I’m sure you’d like to get some sleep.” He’s right, would you ever.

“That would be wonderful.” He gets it all arranged for you, getting her sent back to the Center you call home. You get to ride in something like a Corviknight Taxi with her, though it’s a special one for the Centers. They seem similar to ambulances where you’re from, and you’re transported with her back to the west side of the city. You’re grateful, as you would not have been able to walk the whole way, and you don’t have any funds left to your name to get an actual cab.

Well, you could ride Braviary, you suppose, but he’s tired, too. He stays in his Pokéball the whole time.

Home again, the staff there help get her back to your room. The set her bed up beside yours, and this whole time she’s remained asleep. The nurses assure you this is normal, and that she’ll have to sleep this off to recover for a while. You’re still worried, but you realize there’s nothing more you can do but watch and wait.

Sleep surprisingly comes easy after everything you’ve been through. You thought you might be awake for a while, thinking about everything that had happened today, but instead, you’re sent into dreamland nearly instantly.

You sleep late, too. You’re woken up by the loud yowling of your Espeon, awake and in pain and demanding something for her pain. You sit up groggily, rubbing at your sleepy eyes. Espeon is still laying in her bed, but she looks over at you when you move. She glares at you like this is all your fault, though she doesn’t really blame _you_ , she’s just upset with the situation.

You press the call nurse button for her, and soon a nurse appears to help you care for your crying Pokémon. It’s going to be a long road to recovery for her, but you’ll be there to help her the whole way.

Sharing with her that the Braviary that sent her here is now your new partner doesn’t go over very well. She’s reasonably upset over this development, even when you try to explain why and how this all happened. She’s just not hearing it, wailing about how unfair this all is. A nurse comes in to check on her, thinking Espeon is in so much pain that she needs more pain meds again.

“No, she’s just being dramatic,” you explain exasperatedly. The nurse nods, though she doesn’t look convinced. “I just told her some bad news, that’s all,” you finish, and this seems to get her off your case.

Espeon has no desire to even _meet_ Braviary, so you have to take him outside to let him out to feed and look after him. He’s understanding about the whole thing, as he knows he hurt her and scared her. He doesn’t expect her to like him, or even forgive him, but he promises he will not hurt her or do anything further to upset her. _As long as I get my food, and I’m allowed to go wander off when I want, I don’t care much about the rest._ At least he’s easy to deal with, compared to your Espeon.

He knows where the Center is, and the staff there have been made aware of who Braviary is, so you let him go fly around Hammerlocke, enjoying his freedom and space. _Just stay out of people’s way, please. Don’t get into trouble and don’t eat anything._ You don’t want to be overbearing, but he’s _your_ Pokémon now, so if he gets in any trouble, it’s _you_ who has to deal with it.

_Then I shall be on my best behaviour. I do not wish to make your life more difficult._ He’s a good sort, so you pet him once before he takes off to go explore the city that is now his new home. He enjoys flying so freely, not having to worry about other Braviary who would want to gang up on him and hurt him. You slowly lose the connection with him the farther he goes, until it’s gone completely and you can’t see him anymore.

You head back inside the Center, to get back to Espeon, who is still very much not thrilled you left her alone for another Pokémon. She feels betrayed, even when you try to explain that this was always going to happen. _We went out to look for another Pokémon. Now we have another Pokémon. Which means I have to take care of that other Pokémon. Which means I can’t always be here 100% of the time like I used to be able to do._ You want her to understand you still love her, that has not changed, but she’s purposefully ignoring you to continue being dramatic. _Typical fucking cat…_

_I take great offence to that,_ Espeon returns, glaring at you lightly. You sit with her and pet her, entertaining her as she’s not allowed to move much. It’s going to take her a while to heal. Two doctors come in at some point to assess both you and Espeon. One focuses on you while the other works on your Pokémon. It doesn’t take too long, as they’re both there to assess your injuries and change bandages.

“You’re healing well,” your doctor tells you as he looks over your various injuries. “None of these should scar _too_ badly, though that one down your left arm will.” Great, that really bad one you’d got when a Braviary tore a chunk out of your arm. “There’s not much we can do to help that heal back normally. There’s always going to be a missing chunk there.”

“I understand, thank you for all you’ve done.” You nod to them, and they take their leave after giving you instructions on how to change your own bandages. Someone will still be coming to change Espeon’s and check on her, but you’re pretty much good now, apparently. Nurses are still going to be checking in on you, but unless they see something off, the doctor has finished with you now. It’s kind of a relief.

When Braviary is bored and hungry, he comes back to the Center. He lands outside your window, though you’re not on the ground floor. You know he’s outside, though, based on your bond. And so does Espeon, who is instantly hissing at the window. You roll your eyes at her and struggle over to the window with the help of your cane. Your real one, you gave the crappier one back to the Center when you left.

It’s tiring to be up for long, so you lean against the wall while you try to get the window open. You have to really throw yourself into it, as it’s a bit stuck, but you get it eventually. Leaning out it, you see Braviary down on the ground a couple floors below. You wave to him, and he takes off to fly up to your height.

_Food?_ He requests, and you can feel his hunger.

_I’ll go get you some,_ you promise, walking away from the window and pressing the Call Nurse button by your bed. Espeon is still hissing away, louder now that she can see him. Braviary ignores her. _You’re being ridiculous, he isn’t going to harm you ever again._ You’re trying to convince her to at least give Braviary a chance.

 _You’re too scrawny, there’s no meat on your bones. You would be a disappointing meal now. The food I get now is better._ You suppose food made for him _would_ taste better and _be_ better for him, especially given the way he’s lived the last… Well, you’re not sure how long he’s lived the way he has, and he isn’t either. _It was a very long time,_ is all he knows.

_No wonder you’re all scarred up and so strong. You’ve spent years fighting for your life every day._ He nods to your thoughts, still hovering in the air outside your window while he waits for food. He probably could fit through the window if you helped him, but he doesn’t want to come in. He doesn’t want to make Espeon more uncomfortable than she already is, which you appreciate.

_What about me?_ Espeon wails loudly physically to show her anguish.

_What about you? You’ve spent your whole life with me, being fed every day and having every one of your needs met at all times by me. You can’t really picture what a wild life would be like, where you have to provide for yourself. You’ve never had to before. You’re strong in different ways as a result._ You don’t want your Pokémon fighting, so you try to play mediator and tell them to stop comparing themselves before this starts to get ugly.

Things calm down when the nurse comes in and offers to grab a meal for your Braviary. Hospital food _sucks_ , but you’re totally broke from buying all that equipment for the Wild Area. You can’t afford to go buy better food, even if you want to. You’re stuck with bland hospital food for the next long while.

At least you’ve already got the time off work. Which, you should probably call them to let them know what’s going on. Sighing deeply, you pull out your phone to call your boss.

It’s not long before he picks up. “Oh look, it’s Braviary Man!” Your boss answers, and you’re immediately confused.

“What?” What is he talking about?

“Eh? Have you not seen the news yet? You’re all over it! Can’t believe you had a row with the Chairman, too!” He’s laughing it seems, so he sounds in good spirits about this, at least. You’re not in trouble, hopefully.

Well, now you need to know what’s on the news. With a dramatic sigh, you get up off your bed and stumble over to the tiny TV in your room. You turn it on, and are already greeted with a news report about you. They’re replaying footage from a distance, but you can see you and Leon going at it through the crowd. From the angle they’re shooting, you can see the Braviary even farther behind the two fighting figures, but Raihan is blocked by Leon. You can make out his head over top of Leon’s, but his black hair has him blending into the background in the dark of night.

“-brought a wild Braviary right into the heart of Hammerlocke, without permission to do so. The Chairman resolved the issue by the night’s end. It’s unsure where Braviary Man went after, but it’s known he’s staying in Hammerlocke. The Chairman is giving a press conference this evening about the incident.” The news anchor continues to talk about you, referring to you only as Braviary Man. You change to another channel, hoping to find out more.

As you watch, you at least learn why they’re calling you Braviary Man. They don’t know who you actually are, they just know you’re a man who brought a wild Braviary into Hammerlocke. Thus, Braviary Man. You want to groan.

Over the phone line, your boss laughs. “Caught the news, did ya? Take it you’re free to come back to work now, eh?” At least some things don’t change.

“I guess so.” You need the money now, anyways.

“Good, good! Oh, see if you can do an interview with one of them reporters, and drop where you work so we get more business!” You’re barely a human being to him, you have to remind yourself. Of course he isn’t going to care about how you or your Pokémon are doing.

“I’m still recovering from being attacked, so I’m not sure when I can return to work. I’ll ask my doctor. And Kassy isn’t going to be able to return for a while, she’s been seriously injured and needs time to properly heal.” If he isn’t going to ask, you’re just going to inform him. You sit back down on your bed, still watching the TV screen.

“What?! But you’re my best battler! You can’t just bail on me!” He sounds angrier now, and you fight the groan that wants to come out.

Over the month you spent training, you quickly topped out past his other battlers, including him. At first, he’d been mad about it, but then stronger Trainers began coming once word got out about there being a new strong Trainer at the Battle Café. Your boss’ tune quickly changed when you started bringing in the numbers.

At least you likely wouldn’t _lose_ your job as a result. Still, it wasn’t exactly a great situation to be in, having your boss be upset with you. “I still have the rest of the week off. If I need longer than that off, I’ll be sure to get a doctor’s note.” You’re not letting this man force you back into work before you’re ready, no matter what. You don’t want to hurt yourself.

“Just get back in here as soon as you can. Call me back as soon as you know when that is. And I meant it about that interview stuff!” His voice is gruff and slightly aggressive, but you don’t let it bother you over the phone. Without the intimidating glare to go with it, it’s less effective.

“Yes, ok, I’ll look into that,” you acquiesce, tilting the phone away from your mouth to sigh deeply.

“Good! Looking forward to seeing you here soon!” It sounds more like ’you better be here soon’ to you, but that’s just who he is. He’s a business owner, he’s got a café to run. Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean you can’t understand where he comes from.

“Yeah, looking forward to being back…” You are and you aren’t. You’ll likely be battling more, which is harder on you because your boss doesn’t let you use your cane out on the floor, only in the back. Apparently it looks bad in front of the customers. Whatever, when battling, you can lean against the counter and hold yourself up, and you’re only ever in the front to battle. You don’t serve customers or take orders. Your duties involve cooking, cleaning, and battling. Thankfully, cooking and cleaning allow for your cane.

But you need the money. You should probably invest in equipment to ride on Braviary’s back, if such a thing even exists, and he’d be comfortable with it. He already seems iffy about putting something on his back, so it might not even be worth it. It’s something you’ll have to go try out before you buy, for sure.

Either way, you both want to and don’t want to go back to work. You want the money, but the work is hard. You need the time to heal, anyways. It’s a tough position to be in. Thankfully you don’t really have to worry about being starving on the street, the region of Galar takes care of all.

The phone call wraps up after that. You don’t want to do any interviews, not right now, anyways. It’s best to wait and see how this all plays out, in your opinion. You’re still too emotional and too close to this to give a proper account of anything. You don’t want a repeat of what happened to the former Champion Kieran.

There’s a lot on your mind. What are you going to do, now? You have no long term goal, because how do you get to where you want to get? You want to know if you have any relation to the former Champion, but you have no way of finding any information about her out.

You’re banned from the Gym Challenge, so how do you get famous enough to be able to talk to important Trainers? You have no other real skills, or you would have been making use of them before now. It’s a terrifying position to be in, unable to move on with your goals, and nowhere to go from here.

You’ve got a lot of thinking ahead of you. You still have to heal, anyways, and so does Espeon. There’s not much you can do until then. Getting a doctor to tell you when you can go back to work is easy, and he gives you a few more days off than you originally asked for, so you can care for Espeon while she recovers. You thank him, and snap a picture of the doctor’s note he gives you to send to your boss.

There’s that press conference about you this evening by the Chairman himself, and you want to catch it to see what he says. You make sure to have the TV on for it, and turned to the correct channel. It’s a soft buzz in the background all day, but you don’t mind. It gives you something to distract you from your thoughts.

Finally, the press conference begins. “Greetings, Galar, and thank you for your patience.” He’s standing in Hammerlocke, in front of the Stadium, it looks like. He’s not at any pedestal or anything, and he doesn’t have any note cards in front of him, either. He’s got a microphone attached to his suit jacket, and he looks out confidently at the gathered press in front of him. No one comes too close with Charizard standing behind Leon.

“In the early hours of the morning this morning, an incident occurred here in Hammerlocke. An inexperienced Trainer Raihan took out into the Wild Area put himself in danger, aggravating a wild Braviary. After being rescued by Raihan, the Trainer had the wild Braviary follow him back to Hammerlocke, causing a ruckus by the gate. After some work, the talented staff at the gate managed to calm the rampaging Pokémon down,” _no they didn’t_ , you think, souring, “and keep Hammerlocke safe. Once the Trainer came back, he claimed the wild Braviary as his own. The issue has been resolved, and no one was hurt.” Now _that’s_ just an outright lie, you know. _You’re_ hurt, so is Espeon. So is Braviary. He’s completely glossing over that fact.

Someone’s asking Leon a question, though. “We’ve had reports of that wild Braviary being spotted around Hammerlocke. Is it really resolved?” She asks, and Leon looks surprised for a moment, before schooling his features back into a normal expression.

“I imagine he’s training with his new Pokémon. I’ve heard no reports that suggest there is anything to worry about,” Leon assures the woman, and she seems to take his answer. Other questions are asked, mostly about who you are, but Leon dodges them all with surprising charisma, turning the attention back to how everything is fine now. It keeps your identity a mystery, though there were shots of you shown earlier during the news. You might be recognized on the street for your actions, but you doubt they’re going to put it together in the news.

And you find you want it to stay that way. Once the press conference wraps up – Leon doesn’t say much else of any interest – you turn off the TV to focus more on your Espeon.

Most of helping Espeon involves getting her to stop hating your new partner. She hasn’t lost movement of anything, and she doesn’t need help walking or anything like that. But you do have to move her around a bit for her those first few days, as getting up and walking is too painful for her. As she heals, this becomes easier.

It’s easy to ignore the news here inside the Center, and eventually your name is dropped from it all together. Well, not _your_ name, but the name Braviary Man is, thankfully. You’re gone from the news as quickly as you’d came, much to your boss’ disappointment.

“I thought I told you to do an interview!” He yells over the phone one day.

“I tried,” it’s a lie, “but no station ever got back to me.” You never reached out to begin with, because you don’t want the media tying you to this incident and giving you an image you don’t want. You’d rather stay out of the negative spotlight this time. Otherwise, what was this ‘second chance’ for?

Espeon and Braviary still aren’t getting along. Which is fine, they don’t have to be in the same room for long, but you feel bad Braviary has to sleep outside every night, even if he prefers it. Too soon, you’re back to work, but now you have a second Pokémon to battle with.

You’ve only battled with Braviary when it was life and death. Does he know how to battle in a casual setting? _You act like I don’t already know what to do. I am able to connect with you and sense things through you. I can sense how you need me to battle. I am not a fool, I know not to kill Pokémon owned by Trainers._ Braviary is quick to correct your line of thinking, letting you know you’re worrying over nothing.

He proves to be quite the ally in battle, helping you keep your top spot as best Trainer at the café while Espeon heals. Once she’s healed, however, she finds she doesn’t really want to battle much, as she finds it more entertaining to watch. She never much liked getting hurt, anyways.

Weeks pass in a blur. You have no goals or motivations, so you’re not sure what to do with yourself. You save up money, spending some here and there on things like food or new clothes. Braviary does not want anything on his back, so you’re going to have to learn how to fly on him without a saddle. Which isn’t too hard, as it comes pretty naturally to you. You have the vague feeling of having done this before, and you have the memories to help guide you how to do this again.

Well, if they even _are_ memories. It’s beginning to feel more like they aren’t, like you made them up and they just so happen to coincide with someone’s life. It’s not fun to admit, but what can you do? You’re stuck in a bit of a rut.

One thing that stands out to you is Raihan’s confidence in you. He had seemed to think you could do the Gym Challenge if you were given the opportunity. But how do you go about getting the opportunity if you’re banned?

The answer comes to you one day while you’re in the battle café. Of all the people to show up, a Gym Leader does. You don’t recognize her at first, but your boss does.

“Gym Leader Bea! What brings you to my fine café this afternoon?” He asks, greeting her like she’s come before.

“The usual. I’ve heard a rumour you’ve got a new battler on staff, is this true?” So she has been here before, and often enough to have a usual order. Your boss _did_ once mention you got the occasional important customer.

“It in fact happens to be true! And not only that, he’s the best of my staff!” To hear your boss brag about you feels a little good, even if you dislike the man. He turns to face the kitchen, calling out to you. “Braviary Man! Get out here! We need you!”

He’s taken to calling you Braviary Man ever since the incident. You can’t get him to stop, either. As frustrating as it is, there’s not much you can do. You need the money here, after all.

Well, _do_ you? What’s even the point these days? Raihan couldn’t help you, how can another Gym Leader help? With a deep sigh, you turn towards the window separating the kitchen from the front counter. “Coming,” you relent, leaning your cane against the wall as you limp out into the front.

Bea looks you over with a nod. “You are the new Trainer?”

“I am, yes,” you answer, leaning against the counter and offering your hand and your real name.

“It is nice to meet you. I would like to have a battle with you.” Well she sure gets down to business. Espeon wants no part, so you let her stay out of it. The battles here are all one vs. one anyways, so you can handle things with Braviary. Both have type advantage against Fighting-types, so you’re not overly worried about winning.

“I assume you know the rules here?” You ask, and she nods firmly, before turning and walking back towards the doors, giving the Pokémon space to battle.

“Ready?” She calls, holding out a Pokéball. You grab Braviary’s from your belt, and toss it out. She tosses hers at the same time, and out pops her Machamp. You know he’s her ace, so this will be a tough battle, but Braviary is more than up for it. He’s been pretty bored with the battles you’ve had so far. Hopefully this gives him a real workout.

Braviary charges in first, faster than the enemy Pokémon. He slams his wing into Machamp, forcing the Pokémon back a bit. He holds his ground, however, and slams his fist into Braviary’s side. The hit glances off while your partner tucks his wings in and rolls to dodge. Bea calls out a few orders, and Machamp springs into action.

Braviary’s next hit is blocked by Machamp, holding all four of his arms up as a shield. Braviary flies in a tight loop to try again, the ceiling not very high in the café. This positions him narrowly along the floor as he flies carefully. One wrong move would have him hit the floor and skid out of control along the ground.

Machamp tries to take advantage of this by nailing Braviary with a kick, but you’re both prepared for this. Quickly tucking his wings in, Braviary tilts to the side and nails Machamp’s kicking leg with his beak, knocking the Pokémon off balance and onto his rear. Bea looks concerned, her eyebrows knitting down as she watches on.

“This isn’t over! Thunder Punch!” Bea shouts, and electricity wraps around Machamp’s fist as he prepares to hit Braviary.

_Well that’s going to hurt,_ you fret, wincing in pain as the hit collides with Braviary. He’s still good to keep fighting, thankfully, so you’re hoping to wrap this up quickly. _We can finish this before she can, keep using Flying-type moves against him!_ You encourage, leaning heavily into the counter as you bite your lip.

Braviary is also confident, and flies directly at Bea’s waiting Machamp. He’s preparing another Thunder Punch, so Braviary braces for the pain of the hit as he goes in. He knows he’ll withstand it. He aims right for Machamp’s center, colliding heavily with the Pokémon as Machamp tries to unleash his punch against your own Pokémon.

They fall in a heap to the floor, and Bea gasps. Braviary emerges from the pile with a flap of his wings, and the fallen Machamp does not get back up. You smile, proud of your Braviary for winning the match. Bea sighs while she digs a potion out of her pocket for her partner, spraying him with it while congratulating him for a job well done.

She recalls him then, coming up to the counter. “That was an incredible match. You’re certainly as strong as the rumours claim,” she mentions casually as she offers her hand in greeting. You shake it and introduce yourself properly. “It’s nice to meet you. You’ve never done the Gym Challenge, have you? I feel like I’d remember you. You might be too old for when I took over, though.”

“No, I’ve never done the Gym Challenge, you’re right. I’m banned from it.” There’s no harm in telling her the truth, right? Maybe she can help you out.

“Banned? Why is that?” She asks, as one of your coworkers comes over with Bea’s order. The woman pays for it, pouting slightly as she does. Victories mean a free treat, after all, so losing means she has to pay for her full order. Another reason your boss loves you so much now, as you don’t lose.

“For catching this Braviary! It’s a long story, that I unfortunately don’t have the luxury of sharing here. But Leon banned me for my ‘recklessness’ and deemed me unfit for his Gym Challenge.” There’s a note of bitterness in your voice as you explain, still sore about the verdict.

“That is unfortunate. And a real shame, you’re a powerful Trainer. The Gym Challenge would do you well to help shape you into a truly great Trainer.” Her words hurt, because you _know_ this, and her saying it only confirms what you know. You are meant to be a Trainer, and you can’t be.

“Doesn’t matter to Leon, though. I made one mistake, so I’m screwed forever.” You shrug, and Bea gives you a sad look.

“Would we be able to talk about this further?” She glances around behind you, and you’re guessing she’s looking for whoever could give you the permission to do so.

“I’ll go ask my boss.” Hopefully he’s fine with it, you could really use the help. You turn and limp to the opposite side of the counter, and grab your boss’ attention. “Bea requested to talk to me, could I have a bit of time to do so?”

“Yeah, but that’s your break,” he acquiesces, and you sigh with relief.

“Ok, thank you.” You head back over to Bea to share the good news. “Yes, I can take my break now to talk. Let’s get out of the way of the counter, though.” You limp around, flipping up the employee entrance counter to get out from behind the counter to the rest of the café. Bea grabs her food and walks to a table. She waits for you as you slowly limp over; you know better than to grab your cane, as your boss will complain if you do.

“What happened? It’s unlike the Chairman to be so rash with such decisions. He’s normally all for everyone doing the Gym Challenge.” Bea looks concerned as she digs her fork into her slice of cake.

“Well…” You break into the full story for her, starting with trying out at Raihan’s Gym for an endorsement, and ending with Leon and you having a screaming match in front of Hammerlocke’s main gate. “Overall, an exciting, action packed day, for sure. Would not recommend, zero out of ten.”

Bea snorts, holding a hand up to her face. “I think of my Pokémon while you talk, and what I would do for them… I would likely take similar actions, in that same scenario. I imagine most top Trainers would, as well. It’s rather hypocritical of Leon to say such things when that man still goes out and- well, he’s just not someone who should be having such an opinion about that.” Sounds like Bea almost said something she isn’t supposed to.

“What? What do you mean? He still goes out and what?” You prompt, curious beyond belief what shit Leon could be getting up to that makes him such a hypocrite.

“Well…” She begins slowly, “he still searches for the former Champion, going on reckless, solo tours of not just the Wild Area, but other areas of Galar’s wilderness. He’s been hurt several times. Banning someone after getting hurt once seems…a little extreme…” Bea admits, pursing her lips as she stares down at what remains of her cake.

Well, the great Champion is a hypocrite, is he? How does that help you, though? “I really want to be a professional Trainer, but I have no way of doing so, now.” You sigh deeply, hoping maybe there’s some way she can help you out.

“Yes, all the tournaments require you to have finished the Gym Challenge. That would make breaking into the major league difficult, as you can’t get recognition without participating in a big tournament. Hmm…” Bea goes quiet while she thinks.

“Raihan also thought the Gym Challenge would be good for me, but he wasn’t able to convince Leon to unban me,” you offer, and Bea nods.

“Those two are best friends, I imagine it was rather easy for Leon to ignore Raihan’s words. You may need others going after Leon instead.” Bea’s words get you thinking. You could convince other Gym Leaders of your skills, and get them to vouch to Leon for you, and maybe that could get you unbanned.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually… Leon would likely listen to multiple Gym Leaders, wouldn’t he?” Bea nods, finishing off her cake and chasing it down with some of her tea.

“Yes, especially if you can get a few of the stronger ones on your side. He would have to listen to reason eventually. I can see your ability, I don’t need to test you further. I will ask Leon to unban you, but I encourage you to also ask other Gym Leaders to do the same for you.” You’re grateful to Bea, as this is one of the nicest things someone has done for you here.

“Thank you, that means a lot to me. I don’t have a lot of help or friends here right now.” You’re not close with any of your coworkers, and sure you had Alan, but the two of you were more training partners than anything. You haven’t heard from him much once he got his endorsement from Kabu.

Bea gives you a sad look, and in her eyes it looks like there’s a whole lot of empathy. “It’s my honor. I think great Trainers of all kinds deserve a chance. Can you, um, battle with that limp, though?” You suppose it’s a valid concern, but it still hurts.

“I took on Raihan with it just fine.” But he let you use your cane. She doesn’t need to know that right now, however.

“If you feel you can do the Gym Challenge, then I shall vouch for you. But be prepared, the Gym Challenge is not easy on those with physical limitations.” Why aren’t you surprised? Raihan told you something similar, too.

“I am, I understand. I’ll give it my best shot, of course. I’ll have to get unbanned, first. Hmm, maybe I could try Bede next, he’s been banned from the Gym Challenge before.” If that’s actually true, you aren’t really sure. Judging by Bea’s shocked look, though, either you’re blatantly off or you’re spot on.

“How did you know about that?” She asks, sounding concerned. Oh no, you hadn’t realized that might be information you shouldn’t have access to.

But maybe this could prove you’re Kieran if you’re not supposed to know? “Uh, a rumour I heard?” You still need something to play this off, as you can’t just say ‘yeah I was right there when he got banned by Rose’ because how would you explain that away?

“I hadn’t realized such a rumour was floating around. It is true, he was banned, but the current Chairman unbanned him shortly after taking the reign. He would be a good candidate, if you can convince him. I will warn you, Bede is one of the strongest Trainers in Galar, and he’s not known to give out endorsements easily. You’ll really have to work to prove yourself to him.” You’re thankful for Bea’s warning, though you expected nothing less from Bede. Of course he’d rise to the top eventually.

“Thank you, I’ll try my best. If not, I’ve got other Gym Leaders to bug, too.” There were eight in all, you could bug any one of them. Or all of them, even.

Bea nods. “That’s right, you do.” She finishes off her tea, setting the cup gently down on the table. “I wish you luck, I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your break in peace.” You appreciate it, but there’s really not much of your break left.

“Will do, I hope you enjoyed your food!” You stand from the table then, and she gives you a small smile.

“I always do.” She gives you a small wave as you limp off, and you see her get up and order another piece of cake while you head into the back. From the back, you watch her share it with her Pokémon, and she smiles a little more animatedly while doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bea is a sweetie and I love her a lot. Hell, I love all these characters! They're all so great. We get to meet Bede soon!


	10. Chapter Eight

You ask for some time off to go through with your little tour of the Galar region, to go ask all the Gym Leaders for their help in getting back into the Gym Challenge. You’ve got enough money to travel comfortably, so you don’t have to fly to each city, you can instead take the train and have a more relaxing journey. Braviary is happy to fly above the train, following you to Ballonlea.

You’re glad you took the train, as Ballonlea is deep within the Glimwood Tangle, and difficult to find. The train cuts right through it, however, leading you straight into Ballonlea. You depart the station, Braviary landing beside you as you take in how dark the town is even in daytime.

Espeon rides on your shoulder as Braviary lazily soars above you while you walk to the Stadium. It’s the tallest building in the quaint city, massive in size compared to everything else. The uneven ground beneath you makes it a little difficult, but you manage to arrive safely to the Stadium.

Entering, you make your way to the counter. “Um, is Bede here today?” You ask the clerk behind the desk.

She nods, looking away from her computer to look at you. “Yes, what do you need him for?” She asks, tilting her head slightly.

“I’d like to battle him.” There’s nothing that’ll get the attention of Bede more than a good battle, you know that. Well, at least you _think_ you know that. The truth would soon be revealed.

“What is this battle for?” She leans against the counter with her elbows, seemingly more interested now.

“Well… I need a favour from him, and there’s no better way to ask than to kick his ass in battle.” The woman snorts at your words, but smiles.

“I’ll let him know. Your name?” You give her your name, and she gets up and heads into the back. You lean on the counter while you wait.

_Ok, gang, all of Bede’s Pokémon are Fairy-type, and most are part Psychic-type. Braviary, Steel Wing is going to be our greatest move here. Kassy, Shadow Ball will work well against the Psychic-types. The only one that’s going to give us trouble is his Mawile, as we don’t have any moves that are super effective against her. He likes to lead with her, and the only move any of you know that will even do regular damage is Shadow Ball, so Kassy, you’ll have to lead._ You work out your strategy for fighting Bede while you wait. You’re going to have to take out a whole team of six Pokémon with just two, and Bede will likely Dynamax as well.

Is that even possible to win? You won’t know until you try, so you decide to give it your all. Braviary of course is going to also give it his best, and he’ll be the one up against Bede’s Dynamaxed Hatterene, if the two of your Pokémon make it that far. Espeon, however, is not as up for this. She understands why it’s important to _you,_ but she doesn’t really want to do this. She reluctantly agrees to give it her all regardless, and you’re grateful.

The woman comes back then. “Go get changed, Bede will battle you now,” she instructs, pointing off to where the change room is. You’re thankful Raihan let you keep that uniform from the Hammerlocke Stadium, as you are going to end up making good use of it.

Braviary waits outside while Espeon follows you in. You change as quickly as you can, not wanting to keep Bede waiting. Once finished, you head back out and follow the woman back into the Stadium. She says nothing about your cane as you’re lead out onto the pitch, so you assume it’s safe to keep it.

“This way, Bede is out there waiting for you,” the woman finishes as she comes to a standstill, pointing out to the pitch beyond her. You nod and limp off in that direction, momentarily blinded by the sudden lights of the bright Stadium.

Out in the center, Bede waits for you. He’s got his arms crossed as he watches you limp out, your two Pokémon following behind you. You come to a stop in front of him, and even though he’s the same height as you, it still feels like he’s looking down on you.

“Whatever do you want?” He asks, quirking an eyebrow at you.

“It’s a really long story, but basically, I need you to do a favour for me. I figure, instead of wasting your time, I’ll show you I’m worth being heard out with a battle first, before explaining everything.” His eyebrows go up further at your words, and he looks a little impressed.

“I like your attitude. Show me what you can do, then. I’ll see if you’re worth my time.” He turns around and takes a few steps away to make room for the battle. You do the same, recalling your Pokémon as you go. You have no idea what Bede is going to throw at you, but you’re determined to try your best.

Bede does indeed lead with his Mawile, tossing out his Pokéball elegantly as it lands neatly in the center. You throw Espeon’s ball out, and she appears further away from the Steel-type. She shudders as she gets a look at it, and you remember Mawile has an ability to Intimidate her foes.

_Remember our strategy. Double Team, Teleport, Sand Attack, Teleport, Charm._ You give Espeon the instructions and _feel_ her confirm them.

“Sucker Punch first!” Bede calls, and you grin. The move fails to do anything as Espeon begins making doubles of herself around the battlefield instead of using an attack. Bede’s lips quiver with frustration briefly, before he straightens out. “No matter, try Crunch!” You hadn’t expected Bede’s Mawile to know so many Dark-type moves, which has you worried.

_We cannot get hit, no matter what, ok? Dodging comes first._ Espeon teleports out of the way of the attack easily, agreeing with you while she does. She teleports herself right next to the Mawile, knowing she won’t expect it, and hits her with Sand Attack to make it even harder to hit your partner. The Fairy-type swings out to try to hit your Espeon, but misses as she teleports harmlessly out of the way once more.

Bede growls. “Try again! We have to hit her!” Mawile charges after one of the doubles, but misses, as it’s not the one she is. Espeon uses Charm, making the Mawile even less of a threat. Bede looks like he’s getting mad, but his orders to hit your Espeon aren’t getting him anywhere.

_Now we can attack! Use Shadow Ball!_ You instruct, and Espeon and her doubles all do the same movements as they attack, but only one actually makes a ball of dark energy and shoots it at the Steel-type. It gives away her position, which is why she teleports again while Mawile goes tumbling from the hit.

“Time for a different approach! Use Sweet Scent!” You know that’s going to lower Espeon’s evasion, which frustrates you. It makes telling which double Espeon is easier, and Bede points out which one your Pokémon is to his while shouting instructions.

_They know where you are, so use Shadow Ball, then Teleport._ Espeon fires off the ball of energy before Mawile can get close enough to hit, knocking the Pokémon over. She gets up, but Espeon has already teleported away while she does.

“Try Crunch again!” Bede shouts, pointing out which double Espeon is again. She fires off another Shadow Ball, and the charging Mawile tries to dodge. She fails, as it’s hard for her to see anything with the sand in her eyes, so the move hits her and knocks her over. She doesn’t get back up. “Impressive, I wasn’t expecting this to go this way. No matter, I have more Pokémon. Go, Gothitelle!”

_She likely knows Shadow Ball as well, you’ll have to keep dodging._ The effects of the Sweet Scent are wearing off, making it harder to spot which double she is again. As Gothitelle appears on the pitch, you get Espeon to use Sand Attack again, making it harder to hit her once more.

“You’re a real nuisance, you know that?” Bede taunts, glaring slightly. “Shadow Ball, aim for that one!” He shouts, pointing to one of the doubles. It’s the wrong one, but you have to keep your face neutral to not give Espeon away. It’s amusing to watch him try, however.

_Shadow Ball back, she’s also a Psychic-type._ While Gothitelle’s Shadow Ball flies right through one of the fake Espeon on the pitch, your Pokémon’s attack flies true and strikes Gothitelle in the back. She’s flung forward, tumbling before struggling back upright once more.

Bede is beginning to look a bit worried, but you know you’ve got a long ways to go still. “Use Taunt!” He shouts, and you purse your lips.

_Dammit, that’s going to make you-_ Espeon ignores whatever you were going to tell her to attack Gothitelle. _Yep, only want to attack and ignore my orders._ Thankfully, the hit knocks Gothitelle over, and she doesn’t get back up. However, Espeon doesn’t teleport to a different location, letting Bede know exactly where she is.

“Your Espeon is stronger than I thought. I may actually have to try!” So he hasn’t changed much from what you remember.

“You mean to tell me you’re enjoying getting your ass handed to you like this?” You tease back, and Bede frowns.

“You’re hardly doing so. Such cheap tactics barely count as winning.” He runs a hand through his hair, grabbing another ball from his belt to throw out his next Pokémon.

“Cheap tactics are still tactics.” You shrug, you refuse to feel bad for abusing this.

“Sylveon! It’s your turn!” This is a little bad, as you don’t really have a good move for Sylveon with Espeon. “Shadow Ball!” Why do all his Pokémon have to know Shadow Ball too?

Thankfully, Espeon is able to roll out of the way at the last minute, as Bede sends his Sylveon after the correct double. _Sylveon is pure Fairy-type, so Ghost-type moves aren’t going to be as strong. Just stick with Psychic, as it’s your strongest move._

As long as you don’t get hit, you can hopefully take out the Sylveon relatively quickly. The Fairy-type tanks the hit, however, barely flinching at it. As she charges up another Shadow Ball to hit your aggravated Espeon, you decide to recall her to end it. Braviary can take on Sylveon better, anyways.

“Oh, switching out, are you?” Bede laughs as you recall your Espeon, quickly tossing out Braviary in return. “No matter, use Moonblast on him!” Braviary quickly takes to the air to dodge the attack, preparing for the hit ahead of time with the aide of your bond warning him.

_You know what to do, use Steel Wing and take her out!_ Braviary charges in at the small Pokémon, knocking into her with a hardened wing. The hit is devastating, and knocks Sylveon right out. Bede flinches at the hit, recalling her quickly.

“Your Pokémon are strong. They’d be stronger if you actually _commanded-_ ” he cuts himself off, raising a hand to his chin as though in thought. “I see… Interesting. Go, Gardevoir!” You’re not sure what he came to realize, but hopefully it isn’t anything that’s going to get you taken out here. “Use Thunderbolt!”

_Oh now that’s really not good! Hit her first!_ You cry out to Braviary, and he swings around to come at Gardevoir with a Steel Wing. He successfully connects before she can execute her attack, and rams her to the ground. She recovers, but only barely, but manages to use Thunderbolt successfully.

The move clips Braviary’s wing, not doing much damage but sending him spiralling to the ground. He squawks out in frustration, quickly getting himself airborne again and charging at the enemy Pokémon. He nails her, sending her rolling along the ground. She comes to a stop near Bede’s feet, and he looks genuinely surprised for a moment before recalling her.

“I guess I did underestimate you. I shouldn’t have been going so easy on you from the start. No matter, it’s time to take things seriously and finally take you down!” He tosses out his next Pokémon, his Rapidash. She appears and neighs, stomping at the ground. “Wild Charge!”

What’s with Bede knowing all these Electric-type moves too? His Pokémon are too prepared to take yours out, frustratingly enough. _Steel Wing is still the way to go, hit her before she hits you!_ The two Pokémon charge at each other, both colliding into each other. The Electric move hurts, and you shiver in pain as Braviary does as well. He’s hanging in there, though, and chases down the Rapidash.

She isn’t looking as good. None of Bede’s Pokémon have very high Physical Defence, thankfully, which means your Braviary, who is a Physical Attacker, does even more damage to these Pokémon. _One more hit should knock her out_ , you instruct Braviary, who agrees.

“Try again! We’ve got him this time!” Bede instructs, and Rapidash lights up as she readies her move.

_This time, try avoiding hitting her head on, come from behind and see if you can’t take her out without getting hit yourself,_ you suggest, and Braviary nods. He flies up into the sky, making it impossible for Rapidash to hit him, and dives down from the air, aiming at her rear.

She’s unable to turn around in time to hit him, so Braviary knocks her out by slamming her into the ground. He swoops out of the carnage, landing neatly in front of you, ready for his final opponent. You can’t believe how far you’ve gotten already, just using dodging and strength to your advantage. You know this last Pokémon is his strongest, but at least you still have two to deal with his one.

“I see you seem to be under the impression you’re doing well. It’s time I fixed that.” Bede recalled his fainted Rapidash, slightly aggravated. He pulled his final Pokéball from his belt, tossing it out to the center of the pitch. His Hatterene finally appeared, readying an attack. “Use Thunder Wave!”

_Crap, that’s going to paralyze you if it hits!_ You warn, and Braviary tries to bank around the move to dodge it. Hatterene seems to have prepared for that, as the move still manages to nail Braviary, taking him out of the sky as he harshly crashes into the ground.

“Excellent! Time to finish this!” Bede shouts, recalling his Pokémon. You know this means he’s Dynamaxing, and sure enough, the ball he holds grows bigger in his hands, so you begin limping off to the side to get out of the way of the massive Pokémon and it’s even more massive attacks.

Braviary has recovered by the time Hatterene is fully Dynamaxed, giving him the opportunity to prepare to hit her. He flies in, diving straight at the massive Pokémon with another Steel Wing. It’s difficult while paralyzed, and he twinges in pain as he flies across the field.

Hatterene is faster now that your partner is paralyzed, and she uses this advantage to attack first. “G-Max Smite!” Bede calls. You’re pretty sure that’s a big Fairy-type move, and sure enough, as you see the move performed, it indeed is.

There’s nowhere for Braviary to dodge to, so he gets slammed with the move. He recovers, but barely, and you know he doesn’t have much fight left in him before he passes out. He’s confused now, and disoriented, and so are you. He’s going in for one more hit before he’s taken out, however, successfully pulling off that Steel Wing and slamming into the massive Pokémon.

She recoils in pain, but remains standing. ”Again!” Bede shouts, and she prepares the same attack once again. You can barely see, leaning heavily on your cane to remain standing through the dizziness, and it reminds you of battles against Bede in the mines. Hop used to be around to help hold you up, and the realization of that makes you feel sad.

Attention not as strongly on the battle, your partner is unable to dodge anything or get out of the way in time. He goes down with the hit of the Dynamax attack, and you’re freed from the dizziness. You dig out his ball and recall him, frowning slightly at Bede’s smug look on his face.

You have to send out Espeon to a Dynamax battle. She won’t be able to dodge, you learned that the hard way before, so she’s hopefully strong enough to take out that Dynamaxed Pokémon without going down herself.

It’s going to be close, however it ends up being, so you sigh deeply as you toss out her Pokéball. Espeon appears with a cry, and you quickly order, _no time for preparation, just go straight for Shadow Ball!_ Espeon quickly prepares the attack, going faster than her slower opponent.

The move seems to do some damage, but she’s still standing. _That’s not good_ , you muse, knowing there’s not much Espeon can withstand. You’re so _close,_ though, it feels almost unfair to be robbed a victory due to the stupid Dynamax phenomenon.

“Max Darkness! Finish this off!” Bede orders, pointing out to your Espeon. You get a sinking feeling of failure, sighing deeply as you watch the massive move go off. Espeon is helpless to dodge it, getting flung back from the harsh hit, out cold from the single hit.

You deflate at the loss, as you’d really been hoping to win. It would have let you get Bede on your side, but now he’s likely not going to even want to hear you out. You weren’t able to impress him.

Hatterene returns to normal size, her Dynamax stint finished. Bede smirks as he walks closer to you, not bothering to recall his still-standing Pokémon. “You tried your best. I’m mildly impressed, to go toe to toe with me with only a partial team.” He sounds condescending as he says it, and the look on his face only sells the sentiment further.

“Uh, thank you? I knew I likely didn’t stand much of a chance before starting, but I really wanted to try my best.” You’d predicted this loss, and had been prepared for it, but it still stings to take it when it happens.

Bede chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “You’re interesting. Follow me.” Bede turns with that, walking away slowly. The expectation is to follow him, so you recall your fainted Espeon before turning and limping after him.

He sets a pace you can actually keep, and you’re shocked he doesn’t power ahead of you without waiting. He makes it hardly seem like an effort to maintain such a slow pace, and you wonder if he has practice keeping pace with Opal and her slower walking speed.

You follow Bede out into the lobby, and he points off to the locker room. “Go get changed. Meet me back out here when you’re done.” He turns on his foot quickly with that, heading back into the Stadium. You frown, but follow his orders, quickly getting changed.

While you’re waiting out in the lobby, someone comes to take your Pokémon to get them healed up for you. You thank the woman who takes them, though Bede is the one to come out next before she does.

“Ready?” He asks. You take him in as he comes to a standstill beside your seated form. He’s in a nicer outfit, though it’s still pink. A nice dress shirt, undone a few buttons, and bright pink pants. He looks good, pink really is his colour. He raises an eyebrow at you when you don’t immediately answer.

“Oh, no, someone took my Pokémon to get them healed.” You don’t want to leave without them, and you hope Bede respects that decision.

“Right, of course. We’ll wait, then.” He sits beside you then, landing heavily on the bench.

“Are we going somewhere?” Where would he be taking you? He wouldn’t be taking you…there, would he?

“You’ll see.” Oh he’s _totally_ taking you there. Where else would you be going? This is Ballonlea, what else is there to do in this town?

When your Pokémon are brought back out, Bede stands from his seat on the bench. “Follow me,” he instructs, waiting for you. You get up and follow after him, limping slowly as he walks. He leads you out of the Stadium and, oh yeah, you’re _totally_ heading for the bar.

“You taking me drinking?” You ask as you round the corner and see the bar off in the distance.

Bede looks momentarily caught off guard, before schooling his features back into something more neutral. “Yes, actually, I am.”

“Why?” That was something you’d done with him after he became Gym Leader of Ballonlea, at least, if you really were the former Champion Kieran, you had.

“If I’m going to have to listen to some sob story, I need alcohol.” Oh, so he really is going to still hear you out; this is some good news to hear.

“You’re going to hear me out?” You ask, disbelief seeping into your voice.

“Yes. Don’t make me regret it,” he growls, giving you a light glare.

“I appreciate it, but why?” You can hardly believe he’d really want to help you for the sake of helping you out.

“You ask too many questions. I’m already regretting this.” He rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms, making you feel guilt for asking.

“Sorry! Was just curious, I’ll drop it!” You don’t want to piss him off, as he’s your ticket back into the League, possibly. You need him on your side, so you need to be in his good books.

“I’ll explain more when we arrive.” At least you’re going to get some explanation, which makes you sigh with relief.

“Ok.” You follow him to the bar, and he holds the door open for you. Inside is even darker than it is outside, small wall sconces the only source of light as they dimly glow pink along the walls. The bar is in the center of the room, seats wrapping all around it. There’s a few patrons milling about, but none give you any more attention than you give them.

Bede leads you right up to the bar, taking a seat and gesturing for you to do the same. “Now,” he begins, as you get comfy beside him. “What can I get you to drink?” Espeon jumps up beside you, sitting on the bar counter like she belongs there.

“Uh, I honestly don’t know.” You don’t really know drinks, and you don’t remember what ‘you’ used to order when you came here with Bede. Again, if that was even really _you_ , it’s really hard to say one way or the other. That’s what this is all for, after all.

Bede shrugs. “A Pink Vodka Lemonade and a Screwdriver,” he orders from the bar when the bartender looks over.

“A Screwdriver? Been a while since you ordered one of those,” the bar tender comments, which you catch as odd.

“It’s a special occasion,” Bede replies, looking at you. You feel like his words mean more than they seem, and you get a weird feeling. The bartender doesn’t push the issue further, however, leaving to prepare your drinks.

“A special occasion?” You mirror, raising your eyebrow at him.

“Don’t let it get to your head. It’s just a convenient explanation.” Bede shrugs, and you feel like he’s lying, but have nothing to prove it. You’re just going to take what he says as truth.

“I won’t, don’t worry. If it’s not to gloat about your victory, that is,” you return, and Bede snorts.

“Oh it absolutely is to celebrate beating you and finally putting you in your place. Ah, it’s a good feeling to win against you.” He throws his arms behind his head and leans back slightly, which is impressive he doesn’t fall, given there’s no backs to these bar stools.

What’s _that_ supposed to mean? His words confuse you, so you prompt him to try to find out. “Feels good to win against me? What do you mean?”

Bede just shakes his head. “Nevermind. I thought you had some sob story to tell me.” The bartender brings over your drinks, setting each one on a coaster.

“I do!” You cry, grabbing your own drink and wrapping your hands around it.

“Then start talking.” Bede raises his own glass to his lips, taking a sip from it.

Where do you even begin with this story? It’s hard to explain fully. You look back over to the door, where Braviary waits outside. How do you tell him everything without wasting his time? He’s an important person, so it’s important that you don’t screw this up.

“Well… I want to do the Gym Challenge, but I can’t. I’m banned. Leon banned me for a stupid fucking reason, and I thought if anyone would understand what it’s like to be banned from the Gym Challenge, it would be you.” You look down into your drink as you speak, twirling it between your hands.

“True, I was forcefully removed from the Gym Challenge for breaking the rules. That isn’t really the same as getting banned, but I’ll hear you out.” Bede looks over at you, but you keep your eyes down on your drink. It’s hard to meet that piercing purple gaze.

You remember it being a little different than that, but it isn’t your place to comment such things. Your ‘memories’ could be inaccurate, after all. You don’t really know what is true and what isn’t. “Well… It wasn’t my fault. The circumstances sucked, yes, but it wasn’t my fault.”

You glance over at Bede then, and he looks interested. “What wasn’t your fault?” His tone suggests mockery, however.

“How much have you heard about Braviary Man?” You ask, to clarify how much you have to fill in for him.

This sends him rolling with laughter. His head is thrown back, and he laughs exaggeratedly, mocking you. “No way, _you’re_ Braviary Man?! Of course it’s you, why would it be anyone else? Ha, now I get it.” He wears a smug look on his face, like he’s figured everything out.

Maybe he has. “So you’ve heard about it? Good, that saves me some breath.” You purse your lips as you sigh, still not sure how to break this down to make yourself seem better in this situation. You’re not really sure what the media propagated about you, as you’d avoided it like the plague.

“Oh, I can’t _wait_ to hear how you weren’t at fault for this. Go on, I want to hear the _whole_ thing.” There’s laughter in his eyes still as he watches you, a twisted smile on his face. He’s enjoying this already, and you want to groan.

“Well…” You begin, launching into an explanation. “I wanted an endorsement, so I went to Raihan. At the time, I only had Kassy here, so once I battled with him, he couldn’t endorse me unless I had two Pokémon.”

Bede takes your momentary pause to break into the conversation. “Raihan only takes on those who have two Pokémon, how’d you manage to convince him to battle you?” He asks, raising an eyebrow artfully at you.

“Because I was cocky. Told him I could take him in double battles with only one Pokémon. So I did, and I impressed him, even though I didn’t win.” You shrug, and Bede snorts at you.

“Obviously. You had no chance with a single Pokémon. I’m shocked Raihan even entertained you. No matter, continue.” Bede gestures for you to continue your story, so you do.

“So he offered to take me out to the Wild Area to catch another Pokémon. It…didn’t go well, to say the least. Raihan was awful with instructions, and though I was doing my best, I kept making mistakes. I aggravated a wild Pokémon and got lost when Raihan left me behind.” You scratch at your head, slightly embarrassed about this part.

Bede cuts you off, looking surprised. “He left you behind?”

“Yeah, I was bothering him, and I needed a break, so he just left me behind,” you elaborate, and Bede shakes his head.

“Ok, I was expecting blame shifting and stupid excuses, not ‘Raihan didn’t do his job and fucked me over’,” Bede admits, wiping the smile from his face as he looks concerned.

“That’s entirely it, though! He truly fucked me over! After that, he set up camp _way_ too close to Braviary territory, we were practically on the cliff edge! So of _course_ a hungry Braviary came swooping in when he saw Kassy. Right past all Raihan’s sleeping Pokémon, and she was only leaving my tent to go to the bathroom!” You continue, and Bede nods along. “So of course _that_ woke me up, and I ran out of my tent to check, and there’s a Pokémon making off with Kassy!”

“This is when you ‘steal’ Raihan’s Pokémon?” Bede raises an eyebrow at you, his drink half empty by this point.

“Yes, though it was really just borrowing! I asked Flygon if he’d help me, and he said yes, so I got on his back and we chased Kassy down. Now Raihan could _not_ have done this, because he wouldn’t have been able to find Kassy like I could have. He doesn’t have a bond with Pokémon like I do.” You take a break to take a sip from your own glass, and Bede waits.

“Yes, I understand. So you chase after this Braviary on Flygon’s back?” He prompts when you don’t immediately break back into your story when you set down your drink.

“Yeah, which I acknowledge was kind of dumb, but I didn’t have any other choice if I wanted to save Kassy. So we catch up to him eventually, and the only way I can see in that moment to get Kassy free from Braviary is to get on his back and get him to let go of her. So I jump onto his back.” You shrug as Bede snorts, covering his face with his fist.

“You’re a lunatic.” He shakes his head, but looks mildly impressed, regardless.

“Tell me, if a Pokémon took yours like that, would you make different choices?” You ask, and Bede shakes his head again.

“No, I’d likely do similar. I wouldn’t let harm befall my Pokémon, either.” Bede picked up his drink then, staring at it for a moment before taking a sip.

“See? So then by definition, you’d be a lunatic, too,” you fire back, and Bede chuckles.

“Never said I wasn’t,” Bede retorts, and you shrug as your lips pull into a pout.

“Fair point.” You have to take a moment to think about how to continue. “Well, got on Braviary’s back successfully without dying, so I sent Flygon back to get Raihan for help. They get back, I get Braviary to drop Kassy, who is _dying_ at this point. There’s no room for me to safely jump onto Flygon. So I tell Raihan to get her to Hammerlocke and get her the help she needs. He ignored me, so I got Flygon to do it instead. That really pissed Raihan off, but it saved her life.” You pet her as she sits in your lap, and she purrs appreciatively.

“Getting a Pokémon to disobey their Trainer… Why am I not surprised…” Bede is quiet, you can barely make out his words, but you do.

“I bonded with Braviary while waiting for Raihan to get back, but we’d flown straight through Braviary territory by then.” You’re mixing a lot of exaggerated hand gestures into your explanation, such as slapping your hands together in a passing through motion as you talk about cutting directly through the Dusty Bowl. “So we got the attention of all the Braviary there, as my Braviary wasn’t supposed to be there. So they started attacking us, and cornered us against the cliff. We were holding our ground, sort of, and then Raihan showed up and saved us. I passed out, Raihan brought me to the Center, and when I woke up I went out to find him.” You’re cutting out a lot of details, but they’re not really important. Bede nods along as he continues to drink.

“Cue Leon, I’m assuming,” Bede drawls, amusement in his voice.

“Yep. So Leon’s there, and he and Raihan are having a spat until I show up. Then Leon rounds on me, angry for what I’d done. I fight with him, because at that point I was determined I was right, and it ends with him banning me. I still insist I did nothing wrong, and that I don’t deserve to be banned for my actions.” You finish by crossing your arms, staring down into your drink.

“I agree, I don’t see what banning you achieves. I see _why_ he did it, but that doesn’t mean he should have done so.” Bede’s finished his first drink by now, flagging down the bartender to get a refill on his drink.

“So you’ll help me?” You ask, sounding a little too hopeful for what you should. You pick up your drink and take a large sip to hide your embarrassment.

Bede shrugs. “Guess so. I can’t find a good enough excuse _not_ to, so I suppose I shall. I’m not sure what I can do, though.”

You take another sip, thinking. “Well, Raihan is also talking to Leon about it. And Bea is going to, as well. I’m going to ask other Gym Leaders, as well, to talk to Leon. I’m hoping that enough voices will get him to change his mind.” Setting your drink down, you take a look at Bede.

He looks like he’s in thought. “That sounds reasonable. I’ll do it if other Gym Leaders are, as well. Don’t know what the Gym Challenge will teach you this time, but if you want to do it, you should be allowed to do so.”

Did you hear that right? ‘This time’? What was that supposed to mean? “Thank you, but what do you mean by ‘this time’?” You’re insanely curious now, and you have to know the answer.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Bede asks, looking confused. Did you hear wrong?

“You said you weren’t sure what the Gym Challenge would teach me ‘this time’.” You air quote around the words ‘this time’ for emphasis.

“That isn’t what I said, so I’m not sure what you mean.” You’re pretty sure you didn’t mishear, so Bede is hiding something. Is there something he knows?

Either way, you can’t push it farther, really. Maybe you can ask about Kieran, though? “Sorry, guess I misheard.” You turn back to your drink, trying to figure out how to bring her up. This is a great opportunity to, isn’t it?

“Unsurprised, someone like you _would_ already be hearing things one drink in.” Bede sounds so smug, you wish you could punch him.

“I’m _not_ drunk, if that’s what you’re implying!” Sure, you’re almost done your drink, but one drink is not enough to do you in.

“Sure you aren’t, lightweight.” From your ‘memories’, when you used to go drinking with Bede, you _were_ a lightweight, but you were in a tiny female body. This is your _own_ body this time, and you are _not_ a lightweight at all.

“I could probably drink you under the table!” You shoot back, raring to go in this competition.

“Right, sure, _totally_. Let’s see that, then.” He gets you another drink, raising his eyebrow at you like it’s a dare.

“Certainly!” You take a sip of your new drink to prove a point, and Bede picks up his own.

The former Champion Kieran is completely forgotten about while you compete with Bede. In the end, you’re both too drunk to figure out who won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drinking with Bede is absolutely gold, and I can't wait to get to that part of his character arc in A Certain Darkness. It's a shame we have to skip a whole bunch of it for this fic, but it's also fun to explore a slightly more mellowed out Bede. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	11. Chapter Nine

Bede is kind enough to get you onto the train home to Hammerlocke, but you aren’t sure how you managed to successfully get back to the Center. In the morning, Braviary informs you he was the one who helped navigate your drunk ass home, and you’re eternally grateful for the support.

You’ve got one more Gym Leader on your side, now. Time to go try to get some more. Your next destination is Spikemuth, as it’s not too far from Hammerlocke. However, there’s no train out there yet – it’s still in the process of being built – so you’re going to have to fly in on Braviary to get there.

You’ve been practicing with him…kind of. You’ve gone on his back and flown a bit around the city, but not much yet. You’ve been busy, and it hasn’t been a high priority. You’re regretting it a bit now, as you’re going to have to fly the whole way to Spikemuth. It’s not ideal, but you’ll survive, you’re sure.

Outside the city, you get on Braviary’s back, taking a deep breath as you get ready. You prepare to recall Espeon, but she doesn’t want to be called back to her Pokéball. Instead, she leaps into the air and lands in front of you on Braviary’s back, and you’re a little shocked. She’s yet to show any initiative in interacting with Braviary much. She’s been neutral, as she’s realized he’s around to stay, but this is the first possibly positive interaction the two have had.

_Am I to fly like this?_ Braviary asks, a little worried about his extra cargo.

_It should be fine, yeah,_ you decide, petting Espeon as you wrap an arm around her to hold her in place. With your other, you wrap it around Braviary’s neck, holding on tight. He crouches low in preparation to take off, and you brace yourself as he pushes off from the ground and flaps his wings.

He gets into the air without too much trouble, your added weight not really a problem for the strong Pokémon. He doesn’t fly too high in the sky, too worried about dropping either of you. Espeon _hates_ this, and she screams loudly so everyone can know how much she hates this, but she refuses to go back in her Pokéball, just to be difficult. You roll your eyes, but you’re just going to have to deal the whole ride there. She’ll eventually tire out, right?

She does not, and the whole ride there is punctuated by her constant wailing, sounding like she’s dying. It’s frustrating, but there’s not much you can do about it, as any attempt to soothe her ultimately fails. Braviary lands outside the entrance to the contained city, ruffling his feathers as he adjusts to the quiet once more now that Espeon has stopped crying.

The doors are closed, which you think is odd, and a large silver Corviknight sits atop the large structure that protects Spikemuth. Is that…the Corviknight former Champion Kieran owned? The Haxorus she’d once owned had never connected with you in a way that let you find anything out from her, but maybe you could from Corviknight?

“Corey?” You call out to the Pokémon, hoping for some kind of reaction. He ignores you, and continues keeping watch, focused on that rather than the Trainer beneath him calling for his attention. You can vaguely _feel_ that he’s not interested in you, so you figure this must be another situation like with Haxorus. If what you remember about your Pokémon is correct, they weren’t super friendly to begin with. They liked _her_ , and her friends, but not much more.

You sigh deeply, but you remember then there was another entrance to Spikemuth to the south. You make your way that way, wading through deep grass to get over there. Braviary chases off anything that tries to bother you as you make your way around, and you see the small entrance between some crates as you bat the grass out of your way.

Walking inside the dark city, you’re taken aback by all the neon lights and dilapidated structures. Seems like it hasn’t changed much from your memories of two years ago. Still looks just as run down and lived in as before. People and Pokémon mill about, sitting on crates or whatever else, leaning against shuttered doors and boarded up windows. Loud music plays from somewhere, competing with someone practicing loudly on their electric guitar.

It’s chaotic and feels completely normal here. You see people walking with canes and walkers, a wheelchair user is being pushed by an Obstagoon, and you remember the people who live here are mostly disabled in some way. Piers had told you about it, if you ‘remember’ right.

You’re not sure where the Gym is, though. It was something you never learned, as every time you’d had to go there, you’d been with Marnie, and she’d lead you. Now, you’re on your own, and you’re not sure where to go. The map of Spikemuth on your phone is completely useless, with no streets or businesses listed. There’s just the shape of Spikemuth on the map, with everything within empty. You groan loudly, and decide to ask for directions.

Everyone you ask for directions to the Gym laughs at you, however, and no one is particularly helpful. You don’t remember this city being so antagonistic to strangers before, but you _are_ alone this time. Maybe people had only been nice to you here because you were friends with Marnie and Piers?

It’s a crappy thought, as it means you’re going to have to find this on your own. Braviary would take to the air, but the narrow spaces between buildings keep him from being able to fly, and they all rise too close to the ceiling of the city. There’s no space for him to fly, so he walks behind you as Espeon keeps pace beside you.

Navigating the winding, dizzying streets of Spikemuth is difficult, especially when disabled. It’s not that the roads are uneven, even though they kind of are, it’s more that you’re just sore and tired, and walking all over this confusing city isn’t helping your pain levels.

Eventually you begin to hear what reminds you of the sound of Piers’ music, and you wonder if maybe it _is_ him. You follow the sound of the music, winding down streets to make your way closer. It’s challenging, as the streets don’t lead in a straight line, so you have to keep walking backwards as roads begin turning away from the sound, backtracking to crossroads to take alternate paths.

Eventually, you reach a stage, with Piers and some Pokémon up on it, playing music. An Obstagoon, two Toxtricity in the two colours they can come in, and a Rillaboom. Piers sings in front of a mic, the Obstagoon holds an electric guitar, and the Toxtricity and Rillaboom use their own selves as the instruments.

The music is good, so you join the crowd in listening for a bit. But you don’t see Marnie anywhere, the current Gym Leader. You’re not sure how to get her help if you can’t _find_ her, so you may have to bug Piers for her location. But, how do you get Piers’ attention?

Waiting out the concert seems like a good idea, so you walk away to go find some benches to sit on and wait. You’re too tired and sore to keep standing on your bad leg, after all. Piers plays for a while more, and you sit and listen to the music. A lot you recognize from Marnie and Piers playing the tracks for you, but there are some new ones. You’re even more surprised when you hear a cover of a song you once sang in front of Piers from your world.

That’s…a little creepy, but could be something that helps prove who you are. You _remember_ singing that song to him, after all. How else would he have heard the song if not through you? Or through her, you guess, but you really could be her if you remember something like that.

Eventually he wraps up, and you get up in hopes of being able to maybe talk to him. You make your way back over to the stage, pushing to the front of the crowd as it begins to thin. Piers walks off behind a gate, so you can’t exactly get close to him.

If you wait you could lose him, so you have to fight your fears and call out to him. “Piers!” You shout, and wave your free hand above your head to get his attention.

He turns his tired gaze your way, looking bored and aggravated. “What?” He snaps, though he makes no move to come closer.

“Um,” oh crap, what are you supposed to say? “I’m looking for an endorsement for the Gym Challenge!” You call out, as it’s the easiest way you can think of to let him know about your dilemma.

“Don’t give those out no more, scram kid.” Piers makes a shooing motion towards you, and you frown.

“But your sister does, right? Since she’s the Gym Leader here?” You ask back, hoping this trip isn’t a total waste of time.

“Listen, kid. You’re not from ‘round here, so lemme let ya in on somethin’.” Piers’ face grows dark, and his voice takes on a menacing tone. “Marn only gives those out to folks from ‘ere. Go bug another Gym Leader for your damn endorsement, and leave my sister alone.”

“But I really need the help-” you begin, but Piers cuts you off.

“Does it look like I fuckin’ care? Scram, kid, before I chase ya off myself.” You know he’s not one to be trifled with, as he _did_ actually beat Leon and take the Champion’s title one year.

“I thought Gym Leaders were supposed to help people…” You complain, and Piers gives you a cold glare.

“Yeah, _their_ people. Go bug the Gym Leader where you’re from. Leave Spikemuth alone.” He finally turns away with that, walking slowly further backstage.

“What do you have against me? I need help, please hear me out!” You beg, and Piers whirls around once more.

“Did I fuckin’ stutter? Get out o’ my city, _now_.” Piers looks terrifying, and he’s got one hand on one of his Pokéballs. This is a real threat, so you back down.

“Ok, leaving, sorry,” you mutter, backing away. Piers tsks loudly, then continues walking away.

“Ya better. If I find ya here, I’ll make ya regret it.” You have no doubt he could, too. He’s a Dark-type Trainer, your Espeon stands little chance against his team. Braviary couldn’t take on his whole team alone, either, so you know any battle you have with him right now is only going to turn out in your loss.

You turn to leave the city at that, sighing as you realize you’re going to have to try to find your way back out on your own. “If I ever find the exit…” you grumble, slowly limping back the way you came. You took such a roundabout way to get here, however, that it’s next to impossible to remember your exact route, even with the help of Espeon and Braviary.

When you ask for help this time, though, people are a little more willing to point you in the direction of _out_ of their city. They don’t want you here anymore than Piers does, apparently, as they encourage you to scram as well.

What’s with this town? Why are they so hostile towards you? It’s frustrating and makes you upset, as you just wanted to get help. But how can you when this whole city doesn’t seem to want you around? And you’re not even sure why? Did something happen here while you were gone to change their attitudes, or has this always been the attitude of the people of Spikemuth, and you just happened to get on the good side of the right people the first time? You’re tempted to believe that second one, especially when you think of your early run-ins with Team Yell.

Back when it was ‘you’ and Hop travelling together, Team Yell had given the two of you quite a bit of a hard time. You’d fought with them a few times, and they were always trouble. Maybe the people of Spikemuth were just like that with everyone who was an outsider? It would make sense, which sucks a lot, as now you’re down one Gym Leader to ask on your behalf. Maybe one of the other Gym Leaders could help you get in contact with Marnie.

Sighing deeply, you leave the dark city, covering your eyes with your arm as you do. You’re momentarily blinded by the sun as you re-emerge from within, leaving out the same entrance you got in. No one tells you why the main entrance is shut, either. It’s late, the sun is setting behind Hammerlocke to the west. You’ll have to try Circhester tomorrow.

You fly back to Hammerlocke on Braviary’s back, getting better at this with more practice. Maybe you’ll even fly to Circhester tomorrow on his back. Even Espeon is getting used to this, not minding the flying when she doesn’t look down. She still hates the height, but she feels less scared about being on his back the more successful rides you have.

The next day, you do indeed decide to fly to Circhester, saving yourself the funds the train would have taken. It’s not going to be much longer than the train, maybe even faster, but you also don’t want to push Braviary too hard to go too fast with Espeon also riding on his back. You don’t want anyone to fall off, even if Braviary is pretty confident he could catch either of you if you fell. It would still hurt to be grabbed by those sharp claws.

The one thing you forget to prepare for is the cold. Espeon has to return to her Pokéball about half-way there, as it gets too cold for her to fly on Braviary’s back without any protection, and you don’t have any for her. You have to make a landing to put on some winter gear, and you’re glad you brought stuff from home, because this was not something you bought here. You throw on your thick winter jacket, gloves, and a warm toque. Prepared for the frigid temperatures as you fly further north, you get back on Braviary and make a second attempt.

It’s easier bundled up, but you’re still cold by the time you land in Circhester. It’s snowing here, so by the time you actually reach the city, you and Braviary are pretty covered in snow. You fly straight to the Stadium, as there’s no point stopping early, at least not that you can see. There’s no where you want to visit or see, even if this city is famous for its culture and heritage. You’ve ‘seen’ it before, so you don’t really need to see anything else this time.

You land in front of the Stadium and head inside, Braviary following after you after shaking himself off outside. Inside, you let Espeon back out of her ball, and she’s appreciative to be out again. She winds around your legs, and you pet her as she does. You reach up and pet Braviary with you other hand so he stops feeling so forgotten about.

Heading to the counter, you ask to see Gordie. “Gordie?” The clerk repeats, “I think you’re mistaken. He’s no longer Gym Leader here.” You’re a little surprised to hear that.

“Who is, then?” You’ll battle with whoever you need to, but you at least need to know who it is you’re battling against.

“Melony is now. She took over this year.” So it’s a relatively new thing, good to know. Gordie _had_ mentioned he and his mother traded off the Gym frequently, always caught in a battle over who should run it. Apparently his mother placed higher than him in All Stars, thus getting ownership of the Gym this year.

“Huh, well can I see her, then? I’m looking to try to get an endorsement for the Gym Challenge.” It’s not really a lie, as you _are_ looking to get endorsed, it’s just Melony won’t be able to endorse you herself. Not yet, anyways. Hopefully she’s willing to go to bat for you.

“Certainly, I’ll go get her.” The clerk bows her head politely before heading back to find Melony. This gives you the opportunity to go over some ideas for battle with your team.

_Gang, Melony is an Ice-type user. Braviary, I’m so sorry, my friend, but you’re going to have a tough time here. If you are out, though, Steel Wing, your Rock moves, and that Fire move you’ve been practicing are all good options against Ice-types. Kassy, it’s really going to come down to you. I wish you knew a Rock-type move or something, but your Fighting-type move, Focus Blast, should work, even if you aren’t very good with it yet._ You go over the strategy with your team, and they both nod in affirmation.

The Fire move Braviary knows, he isn’t that good with, either. Hopefully this will help with practicing it, though. Espeon will be able to dodge longer, though she doesn’t really have any good moves for these Ice-types. Braviary knows several good moves, but is weak to Ice-moves, which all of Melony’s Pokémon are going to know. You’re not even sure what Pokémon Melony owns, either, but you don’t have time to look it up as Melony herself comes out to greet you.

“Hello, I hear you’re looking for an endorsement?” She asks, tilting her head as she comes to stand in front of you.

“That’s right, though it’s a bit more complicated than that,” you clarify, and she tilts her lips questioningly.

“What do you mean?” She asks, lifting a hand to her chin.

“Well… Leon banned me from the Gym Challenge. So I’m trying to get Gym Leaders to see that I know what I’m doing, and that I deserve a chance at the Gym Challenge, and hopefully ask Leon to unban me?” You don’t mean for your voice to raise the way it does at the end, but with the look Melony is giving you, it’s a little hard to control that.

“How did you get banned?” She asks, sounding worried.

“It’s…a long story…” Which is true, it’s not a simple story to tell. “Have you heard of Braviary Man?”

“Oh, oh dear, was that you?” She looks even more concerned now, and you’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for you.

“Yes, it was.” Hopefully she hasn’t heard anything _too_ bad about that.

“I haven’t heard much, just what my daughter has kept up with. I know she was trying to get an interview with you…” That’s right, Gordie’s sister is a reporter. ‘You’ used to do interviews with her, as she was the only person who treated you like a human during interviews, and actually focused on you and your battling, not your relationship to Leon or your temper, or other junk the media focused on.

“I, ah, avoided all reporters after that. I didn’t want to be dragged through the mud.” Again. You leave that out, though.

Melony nods. “I see. In that case, would you like to come with me and have a chat? I’ll need to hear more about your situation before I can make a decision.” She gestures for you to follow after her, and you do. She keeps a slower pace for you, leading you out of her Gym and out into the city.

You walk with her for a ways, unsure where she’s taking you. As she rounds a corner where houses line either side of the street, you only grow more confused. “Where are we going?” You request, looking around for something that you may recognize.

“My home,” she announces, turning up a walkway and expecting you to follow. She unlocks the front door of a nice looking home, and lets you inside. “I’m home!” She calls out to the house. “Pardon the mess, I wasn’t expecting to host company today, but there’s no good places to sit and have a nice chat over a cup of tea at the Gym.”

It hardly seems messy to you at all. It looks lived in, sure, and you can see some toys littering the floor here and there, and you remember Gordie has three young brothers – triplets, if you recall – who they must belong to. “It’s fine, please don’t worry about it. My own home used to be way worse.” Back when you had one. Being homeless still is kind of a bummer. “Thank you for having me.”

“Of course, dear. Please, make yourself at home.” You follow after her, into the kitchen, where she gestures at the bar stools at the counter for you to sit. You take a seat, leaning your cane against the back of the chair, and watch as she bumbles around her kitchen. “What kind of tea would you like?” She pulls a large container out of one cupboard, and you can see many different bags of tea inside.

You give her your favourite kind of tea, and she pulls out a tea bag for you and plops it in a cup. She pulls another one out for herself, setting the kettle. She then grabs some cookies out of another cupboard, setting them down by the waiting mugs. Once finished, she turns her attention back to you, to continue the conversation from earlier.

“So please, tell me about this…banning. What happened?” She leans against the counter, resting on her elbows, and you know you have her full attention.

“It’s… Well, I’ll start at the beginning.” You launch into your story, repeating all the details to her similarly to how you had with Bea and Bede. She nods along, and walks away to turn off the kettle when it goes off. You pause your story while she finishes the tea, bringing the mugs and cookies over to the counter. “Thank you,” you mumble as she sets the things down in front of you.

You continue after that, wrapping up your story as you hear a door upstairs open and close. Melony looks thoughtful for a moment, thinking about your words. “It sounds like it wasn’t entirely your fault, and you have my sympathies, but I’m not sure how I can help in this situation. Leon rarely goes back on his decisions, especially something like this.” Melony looks sad, her blue eyes sparkling with worry.

“I know, he’s kind of a stubborn prick, but I’m hoping that if I can get all the Gym Leaders to say I deserve it, he’ll have no choice but to acknowledge that he’s wrong. I’ve got Raihan, Bea, and Bede on my side so far, and my goal is to get every Gym Leader to help. I tried seeing Marnie, but I wasn’t able to find her, and I was told to leave Spikemuth by Piers.” Maybe Melony can also help you get in touch with Marnie.

You hear someone come down the stairs, and see a young woman enter the kitchen. You remember her to be Melony’s only daughter, Lena. She’s the spitting image of her mother, with the same bright blue eyes and dull blond hair. Her hair is kept short, however, in comparison to her mother’s thick mane of long hair. It frames her face nicely, and she looks a bit caught off guard to see you sitting in her kitchen.

“Uh, hey Mum,” she states, looking between Melony and you.

“Lena, dear, this is Kieran, who also happens to be Braviary Man!” She introduces you with a warm smile. “This is my daughter, Lena.” She gestures to her as if you couldn’t figure that out yourself.

“I’m aware, Mum, just confused why he’s here in our home?” Her voice raises like a question at the end as she looks at you with suspicion.

“Nice to meet you,” you offer, sticking out your hand in her direction. She steps closer to you and shakes it, looking less concerned. “I’m here looking for help from your mom.”

She nods, and takes your answer. “I see! It’s nice to meet you, too!” Her bubbly persona comes out then, a smile much like her mother’s plastering itself on her face. “I have so many questions for you! Oh! Let me grab my notebook!” She rushes off then, and you hear a door slam upstairs after a moment, before she’s back racing through the kitchen with a notebook in hand.

It kind of reminds you of the notebooks ‘you’ and Hop took with you on your adventures where you wrote it them together at the end of every day. You wonder what happened to it, because it would have your writing in it. You could prove who you are by matching the writing, if the book still exists.

“Um, no offence, but I really don’t want to be in the news again,” you explain as you raise your hands in front of you.

She pouts slightly, but nods. “I won’t run the story if you don’t want me to, but will you at least give me a chance to show you I won’t run a bad story?” She makes you want to help her out, and you ‘remember’ her being good at painting you in a more positive light from before.

“Alright, I guess, why not? My boss wanted me in the news, anyways.” You shrug, as you might as well give her the chance, right?

“Oh wonderful!” Melony pipes up. She clasps her hands together then removes herself from the counter. “I’ll make you some tea, Lena.” She busies herself with preparing another mug of tea for her daughter.

“Thanks Mum. Ok.” She clicks a pen and begins writing some things down before you’ve even spoken. You’re not sure what she’s writing, so you wait patiently. “First, a few details I want to clarify.” She repeats some things from the media that were either confusing or never stated, and you give her the answers and fill in the blanks of whatever else she’s missing.

It becomes easier to just retell the whole thing once more, and Lena listens and writes as you do. You ham it up just a little, as you want it to be a good story. “I was barely holding onto that Braviary, and I was sure I was going to meet my death. We were in a fight to the death together. While trying to get rid of me, he flew right through Braviary territory, where he wasn’t supposed to be.” You smack your hands together to make a ‘right through’ gesture as you speak. As you wrap up the story for her, she looks at you with a bright smile.

“Thank you! This is perfect! Just a few more questions, then. Why did you go to Raihan if you didn’t have two Pokémon?” She asks, tilting her head slightly.

“I didn’t know about the two Pokémon rule until I was already there, so then I figured, might as well give it a try anyways, right?” You shrug as you finish, picking up your mug and taking a sip of the cooled tea.

“I see… And how did you get that Braviary to fight with you, and not turn on you when all the others attacked you?” Ah yeah, you’d avoided mentioning anything about your bond with Pokémon, as it’s hard to explain and you’re not sure how people would take it.

“Well… It’s complicated, and I’d like you to leave it out of the final story.” You really don’t want anyone making a big deal out of what you can do and landing you in a situation you can’t get yourself out of. You don’t have people to help you navigate this world and advocate for you, so if people decided to, say, run tests on you or something, that would be bad. Best to just avoid that.

“No problem, I can leave that out for you. Just for idle curiosity, though, how did you?” She prompts, leaning closer to you.

“Um… Ok, well, I can kind of, like, _feel_ what Pokémon are feeling? It’s almost like a mental connection with them, and I could sort of _sense_ what Braviary was feeling, and we were able to bond and help each other survive, because we both wanted to live, so we entered a mutually beneficial relationship, and worked together to try to get out of there. We were so successful together that he decided to hang around after.” It’s the best, least complicated way you can think of explaining it.

Lena nods, but before she can speak further, the front door is loudly opened, and a male voice shouts, “I’m home!” You think it might be Gordie, but you can’t actually see.

“Gordie, dear,” Melony begins, confirming your suspicions. “We have company in the kitchen.”

“Oh, who is it?” He calls, coming into the kitchen. He doesn’t look at you, looking right past you, and it’s a little unnerving until you remember – he’s blind. He can’t _see_ you. He has no idea where you are in the room.

“I’m Kieran, also known as Braviary Man,” you introduce, unsure if you should stick out your hand or not, as he won’t be able to see it.

“Kieran?!” He sounds shocked, and he looks in your direction now, but he’s still looking past you, and it’s still unnerving with those cloudy blue eyes of his.

“Yes?” You ask, confused.

He looks slightly distressed, and you’re not sure why. “Is it really you?” It’s almost a whisper when he asks it, and he takes a step closer to you.

“Gordie, dear, what are you talking about?” Melony sounds concerned, her eyebrows knitting down with worry.

Then it hits you. Does he recognize your _voice_? It’s hard to keep from getting hopeful with that. You _want_ that to be the answer, but how can your voice be that similar? You were a girl before, now you’re a man. There’s no way it can be your voice, right?

Gordie’s face falls a bit. “You…sound a lot like someone I once knew…” Gordie comments quietly. So it _is_ the voice.

“Huh, now that you mention it, he _does_ sound a lot like Kieran, doesn’t he?” Lena adds, looking at you curiously.

“It must be that accent. It’s pretty unique,” Melony decides, and Lena murmurs her agreement. Gordie doesn’t look as sure.

“Yeah,” he mumbles, turning away. “Anyway, nice to meet you, Kieran, but there’s another box of fan mail I have to go through still.” He waves with that, turning and leaving the room. You manage to catch the disturbed look on his face as he turns away. He’s clearly bothered by your presence, and you wonder if it’s because you’re reminding him of her.

“Oh, don’t mind him, always so busy.” Melony excuses him with a wave of her hand and a small smile.

“Yeah, he’s still bitter about losing the Gym,” Lena snorts, hiding her laugh behind her hand.

“Ah.” That could also explain his colder attitude. You’re still pretty sure it had to do with the fact you freaked him out.

Lena finishes up her interview with you, and leaves you in the care of Melony when she’s done. “Thank you for letting me take up so much of your time! I’ll let you get back to what you were doing with my Mum now.” She waves as she leaves, and you hear her head back up to her room.

“Must be nice to have your whole family in once home.” You think you ‘remember’ Gordie saying he never moved out so he could help his single mom with her three young triplets.

“It really is, even if sometimes we get on each other’s nerves. That’s family, though, and I am truly blessed to have both my adult children here at home still.” She smiles dreamily, clearly happy about this arrangement.

She seems like a good mom, so hopefully she’ll help you. “So now you’ve heard my whole story, twice. I really just want a shot at the Gym Challenge. I’m a good Trainer, I held my own against Bede with only two Pokémon, I know I have the skills to go far in the Gym Challenge, if not beat it. I just need the opportunity.”

“Yes, and that’s the hard part, isn’t it? Getting Leon to change his decision… Hmm…” She crosses one arm across her body, holding the elbow of her other arm in it as she rests the hand from that arm against her chin.

“I know it won’t be easy, but I hope you’ll at least try, for me. It would mean the world to me.” You clasp your hands together as you beg her, hoping she’ll say yes.

“Of course, dear, I’ll go yell at Leon about this. I’m of the mindset that everyone deserves a chance at the Gym Challenge, and that the Challenge itself will decide if you really deserve it or not. You’ll only go as far as you’re meant to, and I’ve always believed in that. If Leon refuses to give you that chance, well, that’s very hypocritical of him! He’s the one boasting about everyone trying the Gym Challenge to come challenge him!” Melony shakes her head with a sigh, moving to turn the kettle back on. “Would you like some more tea?”

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat more, I should probably get going soon if I want to get back to Hammerlocke in time for bed.” You glance at the time, though you do still have a few hours.

“Nonsense, the train only takes a little over an hour, you’ve still got time. Let me make you another cup.” Melony was never one you spent a lot of time with before, as she wasn’t a Gym Leader, so you’d had no reason to interact with her. You’d heard she’s cold and has a brutal battle style, being one of the only people to beat Raihan, the top Gym Leader, but she’s surprisingly warm and kind.

“Ok, thank you, as long as I’m not intruding.” You’re sure she has to care for her young boys, too.

“Not at all! My boys are with their father, and as you can see, my two older ones have buggered off, as usual. You’re not interrupting anything!” She assures you, and you relax a little.

“I don’t mind staying for one more cup, then.” As long as you aren’t getting in her way. It’s not like you have anything better to do, and the human interaction is nice.

“Wonderful!” She cheers, grabbing a new tea bag for you and rinsing out your mug before refilling it with hot water. She plops the tea bag into the water, and hands it back to you. You let Espeon jump off your lap and go explore the house, as she’s growing bored with sitting in one spot. “Oh, Lena’s Glaceon is sleeping out in the front room, if your Espeon would like a friend to hang out with.”

Espeon trots off in that direction, interested in finding out who this ‘friend’ is. You watch her go before turning back to Melony. “Thanks, she was growing pretty bored.” Conversation flows easily enough between the two of you. Melony mostly asks about you, what you’re doing and why you want to do the Gym Challenge. You’re careful about answering, not wanting to give to her the information that you’re only joining the Gym Challenge to get famous so you can talk to the famous people the former Kieran knew.

“It’s very brave of you to give everything up and leave Unova to come here. What made you do it?” Ok, so you told her Unova instead of the truth, it wouldn’t kill her. You don’t really have a good answer as to why you left everything behind though.

“Well… My old life wasn’t that great, and I thought I could make something better of myself here in Galar. So far, I have not, because I seem to be cursed with bad luck or something, but I’m really trying my best.” You grab one of the last cookies and dunk it in your tea before munching on it.

“It must have been pretty awful if it drove you to cross the Weather Wall. Why not start over somewhere on the Mainland?” Another thing you don’t have a good answer for. You have to think for a moment.

“Um… Guess I wanted to take a risk?” It’s a bad excuse, you know, but what else can you say? You don’t have the time to think of a better excuse.

Melony takes it, thankfully. “I see how you can get yourself into a situation like the Braviary one, then. I’ll trust your skills, there’s no need for you to show me them now. I hope to see what you can do in the Gym Challenge when you reach my Gym, instead.” Melony smiles brightly, but before you can respond, a male voice breaks in.

“If it’s still your Gym then! You have to beat me in All Stars again this year if you want to hold it, and I have no intention of losing twice in a row!” Gordie growls as he enters the kitchen. He goes straight to a cupboard and grabs a bag of chips out of it. “What flavour?” He hold it up over his head.

“Ketchup,” Melony reads back to him, and he sticks the bag back. “The Salt and Vinegar is the one stuffed way in the back, I didn’t want the little ones finding it. And we’ll just have to see who has the Gym come the Gym Challenge then, won’t we?” Her eyebrow twitches, and you can tell the two have a bad rivalry over the Gym, but otherwise have a good relationship as mother and son.

“Thanks.” Gordie successfully digs out his salt and vinegar chips before leaving the kitchen again. “Don’t worry, Mum, I’ll make sure you’ve got more time for the little ones the upcoming year!” He wears a shit eating grin as he leaves the room, walking backwards out of the room like a show off. If you don’t need to see to walk, it doesn’t really matter which direction you’re facing, you suppose.

“I’m handling the Gym and little ones _just_ fine!” She shoots back after Gordie, and it brings a smile to your face. “Sorry about that.” She shakes her head slightly before sighing deeply.

“I understand. You two both want to run the Gym, and have different ways of doing it. Of course you’re going to butt heads a lot.” You shrug to show it really doesn’t bother you, and you even find it cute.

“Yes… I’m more meaning Gordie, how he won’t even come in and talk! I apologize for his rudeness. I promise I raised him better than that!” Her face is twisted with sadness as she looks off in the direction Gordie left from.

“I think I unsettle him,” you point out, referring to your voice.

Melony sighs. “I’ll have to have a talk with him. It’s still no way to treat a guest in our home!” She pouts before turning back to you. You’ve almost finished your second mug of tea, and all the cookies are gone by this point.

“Oh, there’s no need for that, I’m sure he wasn’t being rude on purpose.” You wave your hands in front of you to try to placate her. Melony nods, though looks unconvinced. “Anyways, it’s getting late now, I really should be going.”

The Ice-type Leader glances at the clock. “Oh, goodness, you’re right. How time flies! I’ll let you go then, dear. You have a safe trip home.” You grab Espeon on your way out, curled up with the much bigger Glaceon in a soft bed in the corner of the living room, shielded by the couch. You return her to her ball, as you’ll be heading outside again, and get back into all your winter clothes. Melony escorts you out of the house, waving at the door as you go.

You get on Braviary’s back once outside and take off, flying south back to Hammerlocke. It doesn’t occur to you that you forgot to ask about Marnie until you’re already halfway back. Oh well, you’ll try at Motostoke next, maybe Kabu can help instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out Piers is kind of a dick when you're not friends with his little sister. Why _is_ Spikemuth so unfriendly this time, though? 
> 
> Also yes Gordie is blind and I don't get to do a big reveal in A Certain Darkness anymore which makes me kind of sad. Oh well, you all can pretend to be surprised when we finally (if ever) get to Gordie in that one. 
> 
> Melony is best mom and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.


	12. Chapter Ten

You have to take the train to Motostoke. There’s no other option, as you can’t fly over the Wild Area when you aren’t _allowed_ in the Wild Area, so the only option to get to southern Galar is to take the train. It’s a little pricey, which is why you wanted to fly, but it’s all you can do. You pack up your things and get ready to head out for a few days, as you’re trying to hit all three cities with Gyms in them on this trip. You figure you can do one a day, and hopefully stay in Centers along the way.

Motostoke is a loud city, buzzing with activity as machinery works away. You head straight for the Gym, wanting to get to talk to Kabu as soon as possible. It takes a bit of time to get there, as it’s not exactly a straight and easy road to walk down, but you follow the massive clock tower that looms over the entire city.

Arriving at the Stadium, you head inside to get a meeting with Kabu. The clerk isn’t surprised to see you at all, in fact, they seem to have been waiting for you. “Come with me,” they gesture, when you ask for Kabu, and they lead you back into the Stadium.

You’re surprised to be lead into the Gym Mission room. Kabu awaits in the center of the room, and it’s almost like he’s expecting someone to challenge it. He’s not expecting _you_ to, is he? That would be difficult, but you’re pretty sure you could do it. Hopefully.

The clerk gestures for you to head in, so you do, and they walk away. You come down to the center of the room, and hobble in front of Kabu. “Welcome,” he greets you, a small smile on his face. “I’ve been expecting you. I assume you’re familiar with my Gym Mission?” You glance around. You are, as it _does_ look like the catching mission you’re familiar with, so you nod. “Good. Think you’re up to the challenge?” He asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Um.” So it really is for you, huh? “I’ll do my best! Can I use my cane?” Kabu seems to think on it for a minute.

“I don’t see why not, this isn’t official or anything,” he decides, digging some Pokéballs out of his pocket. He tosses them out towards the tall grass, then snaps each one in half to release the Pokémon. “Here.” He gestures for your hand, and gives you three new Pokéballs.

You know what to do with them, at least, so you tuck them in your pocket. “Thank you,” you murmur, nodding to him.

“If you’re ready, you may begin. Please note, I will still be timing you.” He gestures up to the clock, frozen at the starting time. “You can also use all your Pokémon to your advantage.”

“I’m ready, then,” you affirm, letting out Braviary to join Espeon. He’s quickly brought up to speed on what’s going on through your bond.

“Begin!” Kabu calls, and the timer begins counting down.

You take a deep breath, and get Braviary to scout from the air. The three Gym Trainers that are here to sabotage you wade into the grass with their Pokémon, ready to get in your way. Braviary finds the nearest Pokémon, the Litwick, and you limp off in that direction. The Gym Trainer tries to head you off, so Braviary dive bombs her Sizzlipede. The poor little Bug-type doesn’t stand a chance against Braviary’s strong Flying-type move, rolling with the hit, knocked out in one move.

Espeon runs over to the Litwick, chasing it closer to you. You collapse onto one knee to get down on the Pokémon’s level, encouraging it to come closer. _I won’t hurt you_ , you encourage, and it seems to brighten up. It comes right over to you, and lets you toss a ball at it. The ball shakes once briefly before clicking closed. You pick it up and sigh with relief; hopefully the others are this easy.

“Nice catch!” The Trainer encourages, a Salandit beside her now. She must have brought out her next Pokémon, but she was unable to stop you in time.

“Thanks,” you reply, tucking the ball with the caught Pokémon in your opposite pocket. You find the Vulpix next, with a Trainer with a Rolycoly next to him. You send Espeon at the Rolycoly instead of Braviary, as he’s weak to Rock moves. Braviary chases Vulpix over to you easily, swooping low to scare her in your direction.

The Trainer stands no chance against Espeon, either, as one blast of Psychic knocks the slightly bigger Pokémon out cold. Espeon feels proud of herself and mews confidently, ready to take out the Trainer’s next Pokémon while you handle the Vulpix.

She comes over, and you hold out your hand. She even lets you pet her before you toss the ball at her, and when it clicks closed, the Trainer Espeon is fighting congratulates you as well. You nod to him, and get up to head to the last Pokémon you need to catch.

Braviary has a bit harder time locating the Sizzlipede, as he’s wandered quite a ways away. Braviary decides to bring him closer to you, picking the Pokémon up with his claws and dragging the small Bug-type over to you, dropping him in front of you.

The Trainer guarding him runs over as well, her Salandit racing after her. You nod to Espeon, and she leaps out to block the Salandit. Braviary keeps Sizzlipede from running away, cornering him against you. _There’s no need to be afraid, I’m only here to catch you,_ you explain to him.

_I’m not afraid, you can’t catch me!_ Comes his reply, as he tries to dodge around you. This one is a little bit more wily, not wanting to just be caught as quick at the others. You toss the ball at him and he dodges, so Braviary grabs the missed ball to bring it back to you.

_We’re going to have to convince this little guy to come with us,_ you pass on to Braviary, and he nods. With a cry, he dives down at the Bug-type, and the little thing shivers with fear. Braviary purposefully misses, not wanting to knock out the much weaker Pokémon, just scare him into going into the ball. He seems like he’s not moving for now, so you toss the ball again.

This time he isn’t able to dodge, so the ball connects with him and locks him in. It rattles from side to side for a moment, before the light clicks green and you’re able to pick it up. You hold it up and a buzzer sounds, letting you know you completed the challenge.

You check the clock – over half of the time left. You feel proud, like you really accomplished something. With a smile, you stand up tall, giving Kabu a confident smile as he comes over.

“Well done!” He congratulates, returning your smile with a warm one of his own. “You showed phenomenal skill, I’m impressed. Reminds me a lot of a young Trainer who once did this mission very similarly…” You’re sure he’s talking about the former Champion Kieran, so you decide to confirm that for sure.

“Who do you mean?” You ask, tilting your head slightly.

“Ah, it doesn’t matter. Come with me, I have one more challenge for you.” He gestures for you to follow him again, and you do. He leads you through the Gym, wandering the halls slowly with you.

“Where are we going?” You ask, thankful for the slow pace he keeps.

“Out to the pitch. I’d like to have a battle with you,” he clarifies, glancing down at you before he looks ahead again. He does indeed lead you out through the tunnels, onto the pitch. You recall your two Pokémon as you go, getting ready to likely battle the man. The stands are empty, as the Stadium isn’t being used today, and the lights are all out.

As Kabu jogs out onto the pitch, however, they come on, and you’re momentarily blinded by how bright everything is. You hobble after Kabu, heading to the center of the pitch.

“Are you ready? I’ll be coming at you with my Gym team, so I’ll only be using three Pokémon.” He gestures to his belt, and you nod to confirm. “Good, then let’s begin.” He turns then, heading to the edge of the Pokéball symbol on the pitch. You turn and limp out to the other side, thankful Kabu is letting you use your cane for this.

He tosses out his first Pokémon, a Ninetales. You bring out your first Pokémon, your Espeon. You know he’s going to Gigantamax his final Pokémon, and he’s a Centiskorch, so Braviary will be more effective against him. _If only you knew a Rock-move!_ You lament to Espeon as she appears on the pitch, as she has no super effective moves against any of these Pokémon. Braviary does, which is why you’re saving him for last.

She huffs audibly in return, aggravated that you think Braviary is better than her. _Who says I can’t learn a Rock move?_ She sasses, trying to dig down deep within herself to find the power to use such a move.

_Because I don’t think Espeon can learn Rock-type moves,_ you insist, wanting her to get back to preparing for the battle. She gives up for now, using Double Team just in time to dodge the Ninetales’ first Fire attack. Then, she uses Sand Attack against her opponent, further reducing her chances of getting hit. _Charm is useless, as Ninetales is a Special Attacker. Focus on attacking now,_ you command, but Espeon has other ideas.

_I’m trying a Rock-type move,_ she decides and you sigh with frustration.

_Kassy, I love you, but I swear to god this is_ not _how we’re winning-_ you’re cut off as the gem on her forehead begins to glow. It gives away her position, as only the double she is has the gem actually glow. Kabu orders Ninetales to attack the double with the glowing gem.

Then, a light brown beam shoots out of it, nailing Ninetales before she can get her attack in. The move is devastating, knocking her over and sending her rolling. Even Kabu seems surprised, calling out to his Pokémon. “Ninetales?” She doesn’t respond or move, and Kabu deflates a bit as he recalls her. “Apparently I’m going too soft on you! Let’s show him a real battle, Arcanine!” Kabu calls as he releases his next Pokémon.

Arcanine is revealed on the field, and his menacing aura makes Espeon shiver. You remember he has Intimidate, but lowering Espeon’s attack doesn’t do much to you. _Use that attack again, if you can,_ you request of her, hoping for an easy victory if you can get through this.

The opposing Fire-type dodges the move, and you growl lowly with frustration, as he heads right for her. She rolls out of the way of his Flame Charge attack, barely dodging it, before teleporting away to another double. “Again, she’s over here this time!” Kabu calls, pointing out exactly which double Espeon is.

_There’s no way he figured that out that easily,_ you mutter through the bond, and Espeon agrees. She teleports again, but Kabu seems wise to your trick already.

“She moved! Over there now!” Kabu orders, and you throw your fist.

_Just try to hit first, he’s figured out our strategy!_ You beg, and Espeon charges up her attack. She’s only barely too late, getting nailed by Arcanine before she can get the move off. She’s not unconscious yet, however, though she’s barely hanging on. She fires off her move, and Arcanine has nowhere to dodge being so close to her. He gets hit, falling over in a heap, unconscious.

“Good try, Arcanine!” Kabu sighs, recalling his Pokémon. You dig out Espeon’s ball and recall her as well, as she’s sustained heavy damage. She won’t last much longer, and you still have Braviary anyways. Espeon is fine with this, as she wants off the pitch; she’s in pain.

Braviary appears at the same time Centiskorch does, cawing at the opponent. Kabu wastes no time recalling Centiskorch once more, and he holds out his Dynamax band. “Time for Gigantamax! Let’s show them the strength of your flames!” Kabu cries out, as the ball he holds grows large. He tosses it behind him, and you turn to get out of the way.

Hobbling off to the side, you keep your attention on the battle through Braviary. Once Centiskorch is full sized behind Kabu, he calls out, “Engulf the arena in flames! G-Max Centiferno!”

The last time ‘you’ battled Kabu, this attack hit you and messed up your leg. This time, you’re safely far to the side, and Braviary is the one getting nailed by the massive attack. He shakes it off, cawing as he flies off to nail Centiskorch with a hard hitting Flying move.

It only takes one hit for Centiskorch to explode as his Gigantamax comes to an early end. Kabu sighs deeply as his Pokémon is forced down to normal size, recalling his fallen partner. “You did well, my partner!” He encourages, shaking his head lightly. “That Braviary is a powerful force. _Both_ your Pokémon are strong, and you show a good mastery of them in battle.”

It surprises you slightly to hear the praise. He could tell you were actually controlling them in battle? “Um, thank you,” you reply, shaking his hand as he offers it.

“I’ve seen enough. Anyone strong enough to beat me in battle like that, and skilled enough to succeed at my Gym Mission, deserves a real chance at the Gym Challenge. You have the skills to win it. You have the skills to survive the Wild Area, if you were taught correctly. I do not mind asking Leon to unban you, if that’s what you’d like me to do.” It seems Kabu already knows why you’re here. He must have talked with another Gym Leader already.

“Yeah, that’s exactly why I came here, actually. Thank you, I’d really appreciate that a lot. I’m sure it won’t be easy, as I’ve heard Leon is a very stubborn man.” You scratch the side of your head nervously, and Kabu nods.

“He can be, but he’s not an unreasonable man.” Kabu turns and begins to walk off the pitch, and you follow after him.

“How did you know that’s what I came here for?” You ask, curious as to how he figured you out so quickly.

“Just a feeling I had.” That’s awfully vague, did someone tell him or not?

You look at him suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not important. If it was, I would have said something sooner.” His words don’t make you feel any better, but you’re not sure how to get the real answer out of him.

“Ok, fine, keep your secrets,” you return, looking back ahead of you to see where you’re going.

“I imagine you’re going to see Nessa and Milo as well, correct?” You nod to his words, his change of topic too jarring for you to use your words. “Do you need a place to stay for the night?” He asks, and you’re momentarily caught off guard.

“Uh, yeah, I do.” You’d been planning to stay at the Center, but if he has a better place, you’d rather stay there.

He nods thoughtfully. “Head to the Budew Drop Inn and tell them Kabu sent you.”

It’s all he offers for explanation. “Ok, thank you, I appreciate it.”

“It’s no trouble. It’s the least I could do for…you.” It almost feels like he was about to say something else instead of ‘you’. You’re not sure what, though. “I don’t want you out on the street or anything. I’m afraid I can’t help much once you leave the city, but it should be enough for tonight.”

“Honestly, thank you. I can’t remember the last time I stayed in a real bed.” You’ve been in the Center so long, on their flimsy beds, and camping wasn’t a real bed either. It’s truly been since you last slept in your old world that you last slept on a real bed.

“Really?” Kabu asks, raising his eyebrows with concern. “Where do you stay ordinarily?”

“At the west-side Center in Hammerlocke,” you answer, and Kabu looks shocked.

“How long?” He asks, and the concern is clear in his voice.

“Since I got to Galar… Like two, three months ago?” You have to think for a minute, as it’s been a while now.

Kabu looks scandalized. “You’ve been at the Center the whole time? With no housing?”

You shake your head. “Can’t afford it. I’ve been trying to save up, though, but it’s not cheap when you can’t work full time.”

“Because of your disability? I’m surprised no one’s tried to get you to move to Spikemuth, but then again, Rose is no longer in power, either, so you don’t hear about that as much these days.” Kabu purses his lips thoughtfully, staring ahead of himself.

“Ha! Spikemuth wouldn’t want me, Piers told me to scram when I went there to try to find Marnie.” You sound more bitter than you intend, and Kabu looks back at you.

“Piers can be like that at times… He must not have noticed…” Kabu is surprisingly quiet, and you barely catch his words.

“What? Not noticed what?” Kabu shakes off your question, however.

“No, don’t mind me, I’m sure if got over himself for a moment and talked with you, he’d realize.” Kabu nods to himself, looking ahead of himself as he stops in front of a door.

“Realize what?” You prompt, as Kabu opens the door and holds it open for you.

“That he’d want to help you if he got to know you.” It’s like there’s a double meaning to his words, and it weirds you out a little.

“But you barely know me and you want to help me,” you point out, walking into the room. It’s a small classroom, and you’re a little surprised you’ve been lead here.

“Are you so sure?” Kabu asks, raising an eyebrow as he walks past you. He taps a desk as he walks past it, heading to the front of the room and standing in front of a chalk board.

“I guess not.” He must have talked with someone then. Maybe Melony? She seems chatty. “Am I going to learn about the Wild Area?” You ask as you take a seat.

Kabu nods. “Nothing stopping me from teaching you some common sense so what happened to you doesn’t happen again. There may be times where this information could save your life. And I believe you have the skills to survive the Wild Area regardless. Therefore, I’m going to teach you how to survive in the Wild Area, in case you even find yourself back there. I find the security at any point that isn’t a direct exit out to the Wild Area can be a little…non-existent… So just in case you ever somehow, ah, ‘accidentally’ end out there.” It’s like he’s _trying_ to tell you how to get out there.

“Oh really? I didn’t know that.” You may have an option of getting around, then, if you can just fly out to the Wild Area from somewhere that isn’t a direct exit. “So, say, if you left Hammerlocke and, say, went west and then south, no one would stop you?”

“If no one’s around to see you, how can they stop you? There’s only so many staff, they don’t exactly expect people to fly out there from any points that aren’t direct entrances and exits.” You suppose you’ve never thought about trying that, either, so it makes sense they’re not expecting other Trainers to try it, either.

“I guess they expect no one’s stupid enough to try that.” Kabu snorts at your words.

“They know it happens, so just be careful about being spotted. If it’s discovered you got into the Wild Area, you’ll be in a ton of trouble. Always try to exit and enter off the path, away from the cities and people.” Kabu draws a map of the middle of Galar on the chalkboard and points out the places you should be aiming for.

“I can’t believe you’re encouraging this,” you lament, shaking your head.

“What are you talking about? I’m just showing you what not to do. You definitely should not ever go in the Wild Area.” His words sound sarcastic, so you know he’s only saying it to show he said it, but he’s still actively encouraging you to break the rules.

“Ok, I definitely won’t,” you respond with a wink, and he chuckles.

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. But if you _do_ find yourself in the Wild Area, because you wound up off the path or something – those maps on those Rotom-phones aren’t the greatest, after all – this information will be useful to you.” He begins erasing the map, and starts writing on it instead.

A lot of what he teaches you is actually common sense, and it feels obvious when he says it, but you probably wouldn’t have thought of it unless he taught you. It’s all useful information, and you take as many notes as you can to help you in the future.

“You’re a good student, you’re picking this up quickly.” You don’t want to tell him it’s because it feels like you’ve been taught all this before, because _that_ would be an awkward conversation.

“Thanks, this all feels like pretty obvious stuff, though.” Kabu laughs a bit at your answer.

“You’d be surprised to how many this is not obvious to at all.” There’s laughter in his eyes, and also weariness. He’s clearly dealt with many stubborn students in his time. The lesson is wrapped up pretty quickly after that, as it’s growing late. “I’ve kept you long enough today. I’ve gone over everything you should need. Please take care this evening, and I wish you luck with Nessa and Milo.”

“Thank you for everything, really. It means a lot to me.” You bow to him slightly as the two of you stand at the entrance to the Stadium.

“I’ll always be here to help you out, Kieran. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” His words are remarkably kind, and you wonder if he’s so kind to every Trainer. From your ‘memories’, he was always helpful to you and the other Challengers as well, so it must just be the kind of person he is.

“I’ll be sure to take you up on that. I may need your help getting in touch with Marnie when I’m done bugging Milo and Nessa.” He nods to your words, a small smirk on his face.

“I’m sure I can be of some assistance for that. Good luck with Nessa, I’m sure Milo will be no trouble.” His words make you groan, as you realize he’s right. Nessa _is_ going to be tough, based on what you ‘remember’ of the kind of person she is. This time you aren’t friends with her best friend Sonia, either, so you’re not sure how much she’s going to want to help.

Might as well hit her tomorrow then and get it out of the way. When you’re fresh off a night of good sleep in a proper bed. You wave to Kabu as you head off to the Budew Drop Inn, looking forward to a good sleep.

The hotel is a good walk away, so Braviary flies the group of you over there. Once you’re checked in, and you realize everyone is hungry, and you remember you don’t have a lot of money to your name, as well as the fact Espeon is injured, you realize you’re going to have to go to the Center anyways. You need food and Espeon and Braviary should both get looked over after that battle.

So Braviary flies you to the Center. Thankfully, there’s one here on the west side of the city, so you don’t have to fly _too_ far. You get some free, albeit crappy, food for the three of you, while Espeon and Braviary are healed by the staff. You sit in the cafeteria to eat with your little group before you head back to the hotel.

You’re so thankful for the real bed. You crash down onto it the moment you’re in the room. Your stuff is dumped on the floor, and even Espeon and Braviary come join you on the bed. It’s much more crowded with the three of you, even if Espeon herself doesn’t add much to the bed; it’s mostly Braviary taking up all the space.

He doesn’t stay long, though, as it’s not actually that comfy for him. _I don’t see what’s so great about this_ , he questions as he gets off, not understanding yours and Espeon’s delight as you curl into the fluffy bedding.

_If you slept laying down, you would,_ you explain, and he ruffles his feathers huffily. He’ll likely go sleep outside like he likes to do, so you open the window for him so he can come and go as he pleases. He stays a while with you, and only leaves when it’s time to go to sleep for the night.

It’s the best night of sleep you’ve had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papa Kabu is the best, look at this man caring for his son. I love him. This chapter is just Kabu disturbing the shit and being nice to Kieran fight me we all needed this.


	13. Interlude Two

Opal barges into his room – she never bothers to knock anymore – to rouse Bede from his slumber. She gently sets a mug of tea down on his night stand, and leans over to look at him.

“Do you have any idea what time it is, dear?” Her voice is soft and kind, though Bede knows he’s in a world of trouble.

“No… I think I threw my phone when it went off this morning…” He groans, reaching one hand out of his cocoon of blankets to rub at his aching head.

“What in heaven’s name were you doing out on a weeknight? You’re lucky Annette was wise enough to come get me to help open the Stadium today. You told me this would stop happening, Bede. What has gotten into you?” The disappointment is heavy in Opal’s tone, and it only makes Bede feel worse.

“I ran into an old friend, Opal. I’m sorry I let it get in the way of my duties,” he grumbles, as he’s still in too much pain to be discussing this. He struggles up so he can drink some tea, as it smells amazing, and his throat aches with thirst.

“An old friend, eh? Who could you have ran into that would make you so careless? How drunk did you get?” She tsks as she reaches out to help Bede sit up so he doesn’t fall over, grabbing an extra pillow from the other side of the bed and putting it behind Bede’s back.

It only makes Bede feel even guiltier Opal had to do so much for him today, and she’s still mothering him. He really doesn’t deserve the 90 year old wheelchair-bound woman. She may be retired, but she still helps Bede out with the Gym all the time, and Bede will forever be grateful for her.

Which is why he feels so awful he let Kieran get him so drunk on a weekday. “You’ll never believe me, but if you met them, you’d understand.” Bede’s trying to be vague because he has no idea how to explain that he ran into Kieran of all people.

Bede’s still coming to terms with that. The man was _clearly_ Kieran, the very same one Bede had done the Gym Challenge with. Yet he seemed to have no idea who he was. Bede’s sure the man lost his memories, and is now bumbling around Galar trying to figure out who he is. It’s not Bede’s place to interfere, and it sounds like Leon himself has not realized it.

Interesting.

“Them? You ran into more than one friend?” Opal asks, bringing Bede back to the current situation.

“No, just the one friend. It’s…complicated… Too complicated for gender. I’ll explain better when I’m in less pain and have more of an idea of _how_ to explain this,” Bede responds, lifting the mug of tea beside him to his lips to take a sip. It’s the perfect temperature, and the herbal blend is soothing on his throat. Opal always knows how to brew the perfect pot of tea.

Opal nods, and pats his shoulder. “I left Annette in charge at the Gym. Nothing came up today, but I don’t want this happening again, Bede.”

“It won’t,” Bede promises, taking another sip of his tea. “Give me a bit and I’ll get up.”

“Nonsense,” Opal relents, rubbing Bede’s arm. “You rest today. Everyone’s got everything under control. If something comes up, I’ll come get you. But you rest. Things have already been dealt with today.” She leans away from Bede then, sitting back in her chair.

“Thank you.” Bede sighs deeply, and Opal gives him a small smile.

“I’m sure you have a lot to think about. I’ll make you some scones and jam and bring it here in a bit, and then we’ll have tea together.” Bede hears the creak of Opal’s wheelchair, and sees her turn herself towards the door from the corner of his eye.

“That sounds lovely, Opal. Thank you.” She’s the mother he was never so lucky to have in his life, and Bede is eternally grateful. That isn’t to say Oleana didn’t try her best to be a mother figure to Bede, but she was too young, and too abused by Rose to properly fill the role. Opal had taken Bede in when he had been abandoned by everyone, and she was the first to treat him with real kindness.

Now he’s the one who’s supposed to be taking care of her, and here she is, still taking care of him. So he owes her a proper explanation of what happened last night, as she’ll be happy to hear Kieran is alive and well.

Bede wonders what happened to her, though, that she now is a man. He vaguely recalls Kieran once mentioning something like this when they were drunk together one night, something about being in a different body in Galar and being male before… It’s as much as he can remember, try as he might to think harder on it. It’s frustrating to him, but perhaps he’ll get the chance to talk to the man again in the future and find out more.

If he even remembers more. Bede is confident Kieran is the same person, but he’s not as confident the man has forgotten _everything_. He remembered Bede getting kicked out of the Gym Challenge, so he had _some_ memory of things. But if he remembered Bede, why did he not say anything?

Bede surmises it must be because he’s afraid he won’t be recognized. He looks nothing like the girl he was before, after all, so it made sense to Bede he would be a bit quiet about the person he is in order to keep himself safe. Bede slowly shakes himself out, waking himself up further to think about this more.

He turns to his Hatterene, lazing in the corner of the room on a plush bed. “When we were battling yesterday, did it feel like we were battling with Kieran again to you as well?” He asks his partner, knowing she’d recognize that same battle spirit Bede saw.

She trills and nods, shifting in the bed to get up. “That’s what I thought.” Bede throws his legs out from under the covers, tossing them over the edge of the bed and setting them on the ground. Hatterene moves over to him and reaches out for him, letting him take her hands as she helps him stand.

She chirps out more sounds, and Bede nods along. “You’re right, we _did_ win. We _finally_ won against Kieran!” Bede rejoices in his victory with Hatterene for a moment, as it felt _grand_ to finally kick his arse.

But…he only had two Pokémon to his name. And it had taken Bede all six of his best Pokémon to take down just _two_ of Kieran’s current team. Bede remembers being able to take down more of Kieran’s old competitive team, so either his current team is even stronger, or Bede has gotten worse over the years.

Maybe it’s a combination of the two. Kieran was _good_ , after all, and always had been. Any Pokémon in Kieran’s care were stronger by default, just due to the bond she shared with them. And Bede recognized that bond when battling with him yesterday. There was no one who drove him in battle like that, it _had_ to be her. In a different body.

Bede has so many questions, and no one to answer them. It’s beyond frustrating to him, as he wishes he had been a little braver and asked a few more questions during their drinking. He’d gotten so distracted with _winning_ , both the battle and with beating the man in a drinking challenge, and he doesn’t even remember who won at the end.

Bede doesn’t even remember how he got _home_ last night, though that’s not an uncommon occurrence when he drinks so heavily. He groans as he massages his head as it pounds; this is all too much thinking for him still.

He eventually heads out of his room to sit in their sitting room, Hatterene flying ahead of him to shut curtains as she senses his pain. The glowing lights from outside too much for his head, Bede quietly thanks her as he sinks into an armchair to wait for Opal. He’d go offer to help, but he knows he’ll only get in her way as he is, so he rests in the chair instead.

He knows he’ll go bother Leon about this, because it’s going to be _so_ fun to taunt the unknowing man about this. Bede loves lauding anything over people, but being able to laud something over his own boss? And something as big as Kieran at that? Bede can’t help the smile that crawls across his face at the thought.

“What are you grinning about?” Opal asks, a tray sitting on her lap, carefully balanced as she wheels herself out into the room. The scones and jam sit alone on the tray, her Alcremie behind her carrying the tea on another tray.

“The person I ran into yesterday,” Bede answers honestly, preparing to explain to Opal who she, well _he_ now, is. “It’s…again, complicated, but I ran into Kieran.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

“How would you feel about Kieran being a Gym Trainer here?” Kabu asks Centiskorch as they prepare to get some evening training in after their loss today.

Centiskorch looks at him with confusion for a moment, before grunting something. Kabu understands he’s asking Kabu to elaborate.

“My old friend, you truly didn’t catch on? Ah, I suppose it’s no matter. That Trainer we fought today, Kieran, is the very same one we once fought and hurt years ago. I’d say our battle with her-err, him I suppose now, went much better than last time, no?” Kabu rubs the head of his Pokémon affectionately as he speaks.

Centiskorch squeaks happily, cheering that their battle did indeed go better than last time. He can hardly believe it, but he trusts Kabu’s word on the matter.

“It’s something I witnessed with him, while watching him do my Gym Mission again, as well as having the chance to battle with him once more. He has that same ability she had, the one where she can connect with Pokémon and hear their thoughts. I’m fairly sure he isn’t aware of it himself, however. Not his ability, but who he is.” Kabu rolls his shoulders as he looks out across the pitch, imagining the very Trainer he was fighting earlier there once again.

Centiskorch coos curiously, as he comes to understand why Kabu believes what he does. Kabu isn’t sure how to answer his partner, so he remains quiet for a moment.

“I’m not sure why, but I believe he was granted a second chance to do things over again here. Perhaps right his wrongs, or maybe some balance was disturbed by his disappearance. The universe acts in odd ways, after all, so there could be a great many different explanations as to why things happened the way they did. I’m sure it’s her, though, given another chance. I wonder if I’m supposed to know,” Kabu ponders, tapping his chin as he looks up into the dark sky.

It’s late, but not late enough for him and Centiskorch to want to call it a day, so he orders his Pokémon through some drills, training alongside his long-time partner.

What happened to Kieran and his Espeon hits closer to home than Kabu would like. He once almost lost Centiskorch to a similar event, while training in the Wild Area when his partner was just a Sizzlipede. His Ninetales, a Vulpix at the time, had managed to shoot the Unfezant out of the air with a blast of fire, and Kabu had managed to wrestle his Sizzlipede out of the claws of the wild Pokémon.

It had been a disturbing experience to Kabu, and a shudder passes through him as he recalls the event. He knows he’d do many reckless things to save his own Pokémon, and had done reckless things in the past. His own coming to Galar, though not by choice, had been a reckless endeavour. Kabu could appreciate that trait in others.

Talking to Leon would be…interesting, to say the least. Kabu isn’t sure if Leon is aware or not, as his actions could be read both ways. Kabu doesn’t blame him for wanting to ban Kieran from the Wild Area to keep him safe, but to then send Kieran on his way, alone, without guidance, has Kabu confused. If Leon was aware it was Kieran, would he not have kept a closer eye on him, or took him under his wing?

There’s evidence to suggest both, so Kabu won’t know until he talks with Leon, but it worries Kabu that Leon might not know who he is. Kabu isn’t sure he’s supposed to know, so he’s not sure it’s the right thing to do to reveal it to Leon. He thinks he should let the man figure it out himself, and not interfere with the plans of the universe. He’s already promised to help Kieran, so he will do that, but he won’t give the man away.

After all, he _could_ be wrong. It’s so unlikely even an addicted gambler wouldn’t have a go with those odds, but the chance is still there. Kabu rolls his shoulders and stands up taller as he orders Centiskorch through another drill. Yes, it’s so highly unlikely he can’t possibly be wrong, but if he _is,_ and he tells Leon, he couldn’t bear to be the one to break Leon’s heart like that.

It’s not fair to Leon either way, as he shouldn’t be left in the dark, but Kabu also thinks if the man just spent some time with Kieran, he’d realize it too. There’s no way he wouldn’t. So Kabu trusts the universe to set that up, sure Kieran will have to talk with Leon again in the future.

Even if Kabu goes to Leon and asks him to be unbanned, Kabu has the sinking suspicion Leon won’t budge on his decision. He’s become quite stubborn in his new role as Chairman, and Kabu doesn’t see Leon repealing his decision lightly. However, that would leave poor Kieran without any means of providing for himself, as his current means sound woefully insufficient.

Kabu is more than willing to work with the man and have him become a Gym Trainer here. He’d help the man get some Fire-type Pokémon, and work out a schedule with him that wouldn’t push him past his limits. Kabu can already think of work he could give the man, and a place for him within the Gym. After all, he’d spent time thinking up a place for Kieran once upon a time, when he’d wrecked her chances of doing the Gym Challenge.

She’d still gone on to become Champion, however, so his pondering had been for naught in the end. Yet here, once more, Kieran has fallen into his lap, and is unable to provide for himself. Kabu decides there that if Leon won’t change his mind, Kabu will offer Kieran a position here in the Gym, where he can be a Gym Trainer.

And if Leon has problems with it, Kabu has years of experience telling Rose where to shove it that he has no fears he’ll be able to get Leon to leave it alone. Kieran deserves a chance at a good life, and Kabu will provide that for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Bede is an alcoholic and now Opal knows, oops. I like the idea of Bede turning to drinking to deal with his Rose trauma. We'll get to some fun drinking scenes with him in A Certain Darkness eventually, I hope. 
> 
> Kabu is too smart for his own good. Of course he's still trying to care for Kieran. 
> 
> I love working on the interludes they're so fun.


	14. Chapter Eleven

You’re reluctant to leave the hotel come morning. You sleep in longer than you normally would, and take an extra long shower. When you check out at the front desk and hand over the card key, it’s with reluctance, as you wish you could stay in a real bed longer.

You get on the train and head to Hulbury, getting ready to go get the harder of the next two Gym Leaders out of the way. The ride isn’t long, as it’s not too far from Motostoke, but it’s still later in the day by the time you arrive due to how late you checked out of the hotel.

When you arrive at the Stadium, you’re not surprised to be told by the staff there that Nessa is not around. “If you’d like to find her, she’s probably fishing,” the clerk helpfully points out. “She’s either down at the docks or out at the lighthouse.”

This feels like déjà vu. You’ve been told this before. With a sigh, you head out to look for Nessa. Your first guess, the lighthouse, is correct, as you see a lone figure fishing down by the railing looking out onto the ocean.

As you make your way closer, you call out to her. “Um, Nessa? The clerk at the Stadium told me I might find you here,” you start as you get closer, and she turns her head over her shoulder to look at you.

“Oh? Who are you?” She asks, a slight accusatory tone to her voice.

“Uh, I’m Kieran, but you may have heard about me in the news as Braviary Man.” You scratch the back of your head as she raises an eyebrow at you.

She reels in her line, and when she pulls nothing in, she faces you. “I’ve heard a bit about you. You’re banned from the Gym Challenge. What do you want with me?”

“It’s…a bit of a long story, but I’d like your help in getting _un_ banned from the Gym Challenge.” You hope she takes this well, as you need her help. You need as many Gym Leaders as possible on your side.

“No.” Well, that feels a bit rude.

“You…won’t even give me a chance? Like a battle or anything? Something to show you I’m worth wasting your time on?” You plead, but she only shakes her head.

“Nope. I have no interest in fighting Leon, or in getting between him and, well, anything.” She turns back to the ocean, and seems to debate throwing the line back in.

“I beat Kabu. And I almost beat Bede, and he was coming at me at full strength. I know I only have two Pokémon, but I promise I know what I’m doing in battle.” You take a deep breath and sigh, looking up at Nessa.

She sets the rod down. “You’re going after my weak spot, I’m a sucker for a good battle. I don’t promise you anything. I’m not going to hear you out or anything if you win. I just like a good battle.” She turns to face you fully, and crosses her arms across her chest.

Not optimal, but maybe you can wear her down and convince her. “Alright, I understand. I’ll do my best to show you a battle that’ll change your mind.” It’s you’re only choice, you _have_ to battle so well you impress her.

She raises a single eyebrow at you. “Good luck with that. Come with me, let’s go back to the Stadium.” She doesn’t wait for you like other people have in the past, she marches on ahead at a quick pace. You don’t push yourself to keep up with her, as you know she’s going to push you out on the pitch.

Nessa isn’t even standing outside the Stadium by the time you get there, and once inside, you see she’s already changed and with a full team of six Pokéballs along her belt. She has her arms crossed across her chest, and the lobby buzzes with activity around her.

“Took you long enough,” she sasses with a raised eyebrow, an impatient look on her face. “Quickly change and meet me out on the pitch with your team.” With that, she turns on her foot to, you suspect, head out to the pitch. You make your way to the change room, not wanting to make her wait longer than she already has.

Thankfully you’ve gotten good at changing quickly, so it doesn’t take you long to get out towards the pitch. When you’re about to head out there, someone stops you by putting themselves in your way. “I’m afraid you can’t take the cane with you. Please leave it here.” She gestures to the wall beside you. You can see the blue of the pitch suspended over water ahead, behind her, so you know you have to do this.

With a resigned sigh, you lean the cane against the wall and begin walking out to the pitch without it. With your team recalled in their balls, you have nothing but the wall to lean against, and that doesn’t last forever. Once near the pitch, you have to step away from it and hold nothing.

It’s tough, as your leg doesn’t want to fully hold your weight, so you have to awkwardly limp out onto the pitch. It must be something about the way you limp, as Nessa looks at you curiously. You take the opportunity to look around as well, and notice the stands have a few people in them here to watch. So you’re going to have an audience to this one, great. You can only hope you do better than you think you will. Nessa is tough, and she’s going to come at you with everything she has.

Hopefully Espeon’s abilities to hit at a range come in handy here, so you know you’re going to lead with her. She also knows Grass Knot, a move most of Nessa’s team is weak to. You’re not sure it works on Dynamaxed Pokémon, either, as it involves taking the Pokémon down to the ground, so it’s best to lead with Espeon and figure something else out for her Drednaw.

Braviary will struggle with him, however, so maybe leading with Espeon is a bad move. Neither of your team really stand a chance against a Dynamaxed Pokémon of any kind, but Nessa’s Drednaw has a move that’s super effective against Braviary.

With a deep sigh, you decide to go with Braviary first. Espeon and her Grass-type move will just have to work against Nessa’s Drednaw. You’ll lose otherwise.

You arrive at the center of the arena, and Nessa uncrosses her arms. “You’ve made me wait quite a bit. This battle better be worth it. You promised me a good battle, now I want to see what you can really do.” She turns on her heel again, walking a ways away from you.

“I won’t disappoint!” You call back before turning yourself, heading to the edge of the Pokéball symbol on the ground. As Nessa pulls out a Pokéball from her belt, the sound of machinery chugging to life sounds from around you, and you glance around to see panels being pulled back to reveal the water beneath them.

Nessa tosses out a Golisopod, and the match begins as Braviary appears on the pitch. _He’s part Bug-type, hit him with a good Flying-type move!_ You instruct to Braviary, and he caws loudly before diving in at his opponent.

Nessa seems unfazed by the type-disadvantage. You think she’s relying on Golisopod’s special ability, his Emergency Exit, where he returns to his Pokéball automatically when in a tight situation. “Golisopod, use Rollout!” Nessa orders, and you bristle.

_That’s a very bad move, we don’t like that move, don’t let him get a hit off or he’ll just keep getting stronger!_ You impart on Braviary desperately, wanting him to quickly finish this so he can’t get his hit off. Braviary swoops down, preparing to hit his opponent with Brave Bird, a really hard hitting attack. You know the hit is going to hurt him as well, but he’s willing to sacrifice that to make sure his opponent goes down in one hit.

When the hit lands, it makes you flinch, as you’re not expecting how loud and how _painful_ the hit feels over the bond. Golisopod is knocked backward, and he falls back into one of the open panels. Nessa gasps with shock, and recalls her fallen partner, as he makes no attempt to swim back to the surface.

_Nice hit_ , you praise, not expecting Braviary to get through that as easily as he had. Golisopod has high Defence, so you’re shocked one hit is all it took. You were expecting his Emergency Exit to activate. It’s no matter to you, as you’re ahead now, and you intend to keep it that way. Nessa tosses out her next Pokémon, a Toxapex. _She’s a defensive powerhouse who specializes in fully protecting herself and wasting the energy of her opponents. Wait for an opening, and dive in with Fly._ Braviary takes to the air at your orders, flying too high for Nessa to hit him.

“Ice Beam then Baneful Bunker!” Nessa commands with a small smirk, expecting Braviary to fall for the trap. The beam goes wide, unable to hit the flying Pokémon when he’s so far away, and then she locks herself down in her spikey shell of hair.

_Wait, wait,_ you plea to Braviary, waiting for the exact moment she lets her guard down. _She can’t hold it forever._ Braviary swoops in large circles, waiting for the exact moment he can dive down. When you see a single flap of her protective shell lift to reveal herself, you order, _now_!

Braviary dive bombs down at the awaiting Pokémon, nailing her hard with the move. She tumbles backwards, but avoids falling in any open panels, and recovers herself. She looks like she doesn’t have much left in her, however, and Nessa isn’t going to go easy on you, either. “Another Ice Beam!” Nessa orders, pointing out to Braviary.

_We can’t get hit with that!_ You should have expected Water Pokémon to know some Ice-type moves, as unfortunate as it is. With a cry, Braviary barely dodges the Ice attack by flying back in the air, high up above and out of the way once more.

Nessa is watching Braviary, and seems to be waiting for him to dive before calling out her next order. _Feint, make her think you’re attacking when you’re not so she calls out an order,_ you instruct, and Braviary nods as he moves to pretend to dive. He pulls out of it quickly, but not before Nessa finally commands her Pokémon.

“Baneful Bunker! Now!” She shouts, then balks when Braviary pulls out of the attack. “Wait! Argh!” She growls in frustration, and you can’t help the grin that spreads across your face at getting her exactly where you want her.

_Use Hone Claws up there while we wait, let’s get you even stronger for her upcoming Pokémon._ You have the opportunity, might as well take advantage of it. Braviary sharpens his claws high up in the air, and the opponents bunker ends while he does so. He immediately dives down to take out the Toxapex, hitting her hard once more. This time she goes down, wailing once in pain before her consciousness fades. She collapses dramatically, and Nessa recalls her quickly.

“You weren’t joking, you’re a real threat. No more taking this easy! Seaking!” Nessa tosses out another Water-type, throwing the ball right for one of the openings. Seaking appears in the water, jumping gracefully out of one hole and into another before diving down deep into the water.

Nessa runs with him to the other side of the pitch, and you groan. You remember this. You take a deep breath before slowly following. Braviary swoops ahead of you, and you use his eyes to see what’s going on. _We just have to nail him when he jumps out of the water, and he has to eventually,_ you inform him, wincing in pain as your leg twists under you uncomfortably while you speed limp across the pitch, avoiding the open panels as you go.

“Blizzard!” Nessa shouts when Braviary gets close, and you audibly swear. It’s a rather inaccurate move, but Seaking barely pops above the water to use the move, making it really hard to hit him. Braviary harmlessly flies above the small storm that’s whipped up, but it keeps him from attacking the swimming Pokémon beneath him.

_I think I can dive down there,_ Braviary points out, and you’re surprised.

_What do you mean? There’s water down there, how would you move?_ You don’t want him to drown, either, which is what you’re more afraid of happening, as you’re too far away to recall him if something bad happens.

_There’s enough space between the water and the panels, I can fit between them and get Seaking._ Braviary is pretty determined about this, so you’re willing to give him the chance. He flies away from the Blizzard, and flies down into one of the open panels further away. He carefully flies just above the water, his claws skimming it as he goes. He has no room to maneuver down here, so one wrong move and he’ll be going down in the water.

Nessa seems to have the same idea as you, unfortunately. “Blizzard again, around you this time!” She orders, and you wince as you realize Braviary has no choice but to fly right through it to grab the enemy Pokémon.

This both works out in your favour and against you. Seaking pops above the water to use the move, and Braviary sees him, and is able to sink his claws around him just as the Blizzard starts. It hits him, but he tanks the hit as he flies out an open panel, still holding the Seaking. He’s in pain, though, so he drops to the ground with Seaking still in his claws. The Water-type flops on the glass panel, trying to make his way back to an open one to get back in the water.

_Don’t let him! Quick, finish him off while he can’t attack!_ You request of Braviary, and he rights himself before grabbing Seaking again. He tosses the Pokémon in the air, then flies up and smacks him with his wing, keeping him in the air for another hit with his wing, like it’s a game of keep-away, before he lets the opposing Pokémon fall and slam against the glass panel below. The hard hit knocks him out cold, and you cheer.

Nessa looks irritated, which is a good sign. Braviary is barely hanging in there after having to fly through the Blizzard, though, so you’re worried about which Pokémon is coming out next. “Alright, time for Pelipper, it’s your time to shine! Take out that Braviary!” Nessa commands, recalling her previous partner, and sending out the new one.

_Oh good, a Flying-type, you know those are weak to Rock moves!_ You encourage, knowing Braviary knows how to fight this one on his own.

“Use Icy Wind!” Nessa calls out as Pelipper appears on the pitch, and the Pokémon takes to the skies to battle with your Braviary.

_Crap, try Rock Slide!_ You just hope Braviary is faster and stronger, and is able to take his opponent out in one hit again. He tries, he really does, nailing Pelipper with the rocks and taking him out of the sky, but Pelipper’s move still goes off and hits Braviary.

It hits so hard he loses consciousness then and there, and you have split seconds to recall him before he falls into the water. You fumble the ball out, but the beam connects with him as he disappears beneath a panel, and he snaps back into his ball before he can fall all the way into the water. You sigh with relief, feeling weird with the bond gone once again.

“Good job!” Nessa calls, looking happier now that she’s taken one of your Pokémon out. “Only one to go, we can do this!”

You’ve saved your best for last, however, and Pelipper is barely hanging in there. One good hit should knock him right out. You toss out your last Pokéball, and Espeon appears on the pitch. You know you have to set up on this Pelipper, so you’re hoping it doesn’t have any moves that would be super effective against your own partner.

_That Rock move you did last time would be really handy here if you can do it again, but let’s set up first. Double Team and Sand Attack to start, but make sure to stay out of Pelipper’s way,_ you warn, and Espeon begins making doubles of herself around the arena. Some are obviously not her, as they hover over open panels, but there’s no real way to control that.

“Dive down at use Payback!” You know that’s a Dark-type move, so you order Espeon to switch doubles so she doesn’t get hit. Pelipper harmlessly flies through a fake Espeon, and Nessa throws her fist in frustration. “Again! That one!” She points to another and Pelipper turns around.

_Now, use Calm Mind, and further buff you before you take out that Pelipper,_ you instruct, and Espeon follows through with the move. She calms herself to improve her Special Attack and Special Defence, making her harder to take down as well as stronger to take down opposing Pokémon.

You just hope it’s strong enough to take down that Drednaw of hers. Pelipper dives down at another fake double, missing Espeon once again, and you finally put her on the attack. She can’t seem to find the power to use that Rock move again, but a good hit of Psychic has Pelipper falling out of the air, landing harshly on the panels below.

Nessa cries out in frustration before recalling her partner. “Fine, it’s time for Quagsire! Let’s flood the battlefield and get rid of our opponent!” Nessa commands, throwing out another Pokéball containing Quagsire. He appears on a panel before jumping into the water beneath. “Surf!” Nessa throws a hand out, and Quagsire begins flooding the whole arena.

_We need to stop him before he hits! It’s going to hurt otherwise! Use Grass Knot, it’s super effective!_ You only hope your order comes soon enough, so Espeon has the time to hit her opponent before he can complete his move.

He’s underwater, which makes hitting him harder, but Espeon manages to pull her powers and manifest them under the water, tangling the opposing Pokémon in vines. As he rises with the waves of his Surf move, the vines tighten, and pull him straight down. He’s pulled down and slammed into a panel of glass beneath him, and the water he was stirring up behind himself all drops back down to the ground, unused. You sigh with relief while Nessa screeches.

“I _hate_ Grass-types!” You realize you’re then down to her last Pokémon, too, as she recalls her fainted partner from the field. She reaches for her last Pokémon, taking a deep breath and releasing it as she winds up her throw, tossing him out onto the pitch.

You know she’s going to Gigantamax right away, so there’s little point in trying to prepare anything that isn’t Grass Knot to take down the large Pokémon. _Take a deep breath, there’s nothing more we can do now but wait. Store your power and go all out when you hit Drednaw, as we only have one chance to take him out. You won’t live to see a second hit._ You know how frail Espeon is, and how powerful those Dynamaxed moves are, so there’s only one chance to hit him and take him down.

Just as Drednaw appears on the pitch, Nessa cries out, “Time for Gigantamax! This time, we’ll wash away our opponents and seize victory!” She recalls him immediately, enlarging his ball with her Dynamax bracelet before tossing the large ball behind her. With a deep breath, you begin getting out of the way, avoiding open panels on the ground as you go.

Nessa failed to chase you around the arena this time, a fact you’re grateful for. You’re already exhausted as it. As Drednaw appears in his full, large form, you turn back around to take a look. The very moment he lets out a cry, Espeon unleashes her stored up move on him.

Vines appear around his legs as Nessa begins ordering his attack. “Max Darkness! Finish this in one blow!” And it will be finished in one blow, it’s just _who’s_ blow it’s going to be is the question. Dark energy begins forming around Drednaw as he gathers power, the vines tangling around his legs further. Espeon reels back and stomps on the ground with her front paws, and the vines tighten around the opposing Pokémon.

With a loud roar, the gigantic Drednaw begins to come tumbling down. Nessa cries out as she quickly leaps out of the way, not expecting the gigantic Pokémon to topple forward like that. His attack doesn’t go off, interrupted by his fall, as he crashes into the glass panels below. You hear the sound of shattering glass as several panels beneath him break with the force of the fall.

Espeon remains completely unharmed on your side of the pitch, and she licks a front paw idly as she watches the destruction she just caused. Drednaw explodes suddenly, a loud boom echoing out, and you realize the Dynamax effect is coming to a forced end as the hit did indeed knock him out cold. He shrinks back to his regular size, and Nessa screams out in frustration, raking her hands through her hair and messing it up.

“HOW?!” She bellows, looking at you with such passion in her eyes. “You should _not_ have won that! I was going all out! How?!” She clearly wasn’t expecting the loss, which makes you feel even more proud. And slightly vindicated about your loss to Bede, as you did _finally_ win to someone using a full team and Dynamaxing. You barely won, as if you’d been any slower, or missed that final hit, you would have lost. The whole match was likely closer than Nessa is imagining it to be, as she never managed to hit your Espeon, so it must look rather one-sided to her.

You walk up to her, well, limp awkwardly, and the panels around you close up as you do. You make a straight line over to her, and she give you a weary look. “I told you I was good,” is all you offer for explanation, and she glares.

“You weren’t kidding. Fine, I said I wasn’t making any promises, but I’ll mention it to Leon. That’s all. I’m not fighting him for you. That’s something you need to do on your own. Thank you for the match, though. That was certainly more excitement I’ve had here in my own pitch in a long time. Hopefully repairs aren’t too expensive…” Nessa casts a look over her shoulder at the broken panels behind her.

You lean down as Espeon comes up beside you, petting her in reward for her earned victory. _You did amazingly well. I think we’ll go out to eat for dinner tonight._ You don’t have a whole lot of money to do so, but you have to fly to Turffield tomorrow anyways, so you might as well celebrate this victory a bit and reward your hard-working partners. After all, you couldn’t have done this without them.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t realize that’s what would happen when we used Grass Knot.” You offer your hand out in apology, and Nessa shakes it.

“Not your fault. All part of the battle. It’s happened before.” She shrugs then, crossing her arms. “I hope we can battle again in the future. I’d like a rematch. Your team is seriously something else. You could keep up with Leon’s team easily with Pokémon like that. You should try proving to him your talents.” It’s a good suggestion, and one you hadn’t thought of. Challenging Leon to a battle to prove you knew what you were doing might just work.

“Thank you. I might do just that once I’ve talked to all the Gym Leaders.” She nods at you, looking satisfied, and turns to walk off the pitch. You follow after her, much slower as her long legs enable her to walk quite quickly and make it look effortless. Your shorter, stubby, injured legs don’t help you keep pace at all. Once off the pitch, Nessa is long gone, so you grab your cane and decide to make your way to the Center to get Braviary healed up.

On your way there, you keep an eye out for any restaurants that might be interesting to visit. You pass a fancy diner on your way there, one you recognize as having ate at once with Rose. It was an expensive place, so you know you can’t eat there now, and Espeon is disappointed, as it does smell delicious.

Once Braviary is healed up, you find a cheap pasta place, and you and your two Pokémon stuff your faces with the delicious meal before heading back to stay at the Center for the night, so in the morning you can take off for Turffield. It’s quite late by the time you retire to the Center for the night, so you aren’t surprised when you sleep in late the next morning.

Braviary takes you off to Turffield, and you see what Kabu was meaning about how easy it is to get in the Wild Area. The path there takes you right over the open Wild Area below, and it’s not like there’s any guards around the bridge making sure no one is going out there who shouldn’t be. You could just…cross right over the edge of the bridge and you’d be out in the Wild Area, and no one would be able to stop you.

Huh.

You don’t _need_ to be out in the Wild Area right now, so you don’t bother testing it out right now. The last thing you want to do is get in more trouble when you’re trying to get _out_ of trouble right now, anyways. The trip isn’t too long, but it’s a nice flight regardless, especially as you’re getting much better at riding on Braviary’s back with Espeon. It’s nice that your two Pokémon are starting to get along, even if Espeon hasn’t _forgiven_ Braviary for what happened yet.

Arriving in Turffield, the first place you head to is the Stadium. You fail to be surprised when, for the second day in a row, you’re told the Gym Leader is not home. It is off season, you remind yourself, as this year’s Gym Challenge has already wrapped up. Milo’s out working the fields with his family today, you’re told, so you sigh and decide to go look for him. He shouldn’t be too hard to find, at least, and you know he’s on the kinder side, so hopefully he’ll want to help you.

You feel a bit bad about bugging him on a day off from the Gym, but you need to get your endorsement, and you’re not about to just sit here in Turffield twiddling your thumbs while you wait. It’s not hard to find Milo from Braviary’s back, the broad man and his wide-brimmed hat easy to see even from the sky.

He’s toiling away on the field beside a younger man who looks like an identical, albeit much smaller, Milo. You try waving to them from the air to get their attention before landing, and the boy is the first to wave back. Milo looks up and waves as well after a moment, and you land nearby.

It’s a bit weird to see Milo in overalls and a plaid shirt, but the look suits him regardless. “Sorry to bug you on your day off,” you begin, scratching at your arm as you support yourself with your cane. “But I have a favour to ask of you, Milo.”

Milo gives you a soft smile. “Not at all. Kabu called me and told me to expect you. How can I help?” He asks, setting his hoe down in the ground with a strong gesture, keeping it standing upright by rooting it in the ground. The younger man gets back to work when he figures out this doesn’t involve him, and you give him a small wave in return when he grins and waves bye to you.

“Well, I’m trying to get unbanned from the Gym Challenge, so I’m going to all the Gym Leaders to ask for their help in getting Leon to unban me,” you explain, and Milo nods.

“Why don’t you come with me, then? Let’s head to the Stadium.” Milo gestures for you to follow after him before turning over his shoulder. “Max, I’ll be back later, keep up the work!” He shouts, and Max – who must be Milo’s younger brother – gives the man a thumbs up before getting back to work. The small boy is almost as built as Milo is, so it must run in the family.

You follow Milo off the farm and out to the Stadium. You ride on Braviary’s back, as it’s quite a ways and you’re tired. The farming town may not have a huge population, but it’s massive and sprawling with all the farmland. Walking past all the farms, even along the worn dirt trail, is exhausting.

“So who’s this, then?” Milo asks, gesturing to your Braviary.

“This? This is my Braviary,” you reply, confusion in your voice. You’re not sure why he’s asking about that.

“And your Espeon? Such a tiny Pokémon, I’ve never seen one so small!” Milo exclaims, looking up at you in the air still. Espeon trills from her seat in front of you.

“This is Kassy,” you clarify, and Milo raises his eyebrow.

“You’ve only nicknamed one of your Pokémon?” He sounds almost saddened by this fact.

“Yes?” Milo’s face falls at your answer, so it must not be the answer he was wanting.

“How could you only name one?” He laments, a despondent look on his face.

“What, have you named every one of yours?” You ask, a bit sarcastically.

“And all the Wooloo in the Gym, too!” He answers with a grin, and you’re somehow not surprised someone like Milo would have names for every Wooloo in the Gym’s care.

“I see…” You mumble, looking at Braviary. He’s never particularly minded not having a name of his own, but now that Milo points it out, you _feel_ the pang of jealousy that passes through him.

“You should find a name for him, too! It’s only fair, after all.” Milo nods, satisfied with himself, and he looks back ahead on the road once more. He keeps a fairly quick pace, but Braviary still only has to glide slowly and lazily to keep up.

“A name, huh?” You ruffle Braviary’s feathers, and begin trying to think of a name. What could you call the scrappy little guy? _Is there anything you’d like me to call you?_ You ask your partner, and he thinks for a moment, too.

_Something strong,_ is all he tells you, so you huff audibly.

_That’s not helpful,_ you reply, going back to thinking more. What kind of name would he like, that sounds strong? You think back to the day the two of you met, trying to think of anything that might work to call him.

Something you remember are the lines the two of you shared before taking on the fleet of Braviary.

_We can’t win, but we can be a thorn in their sides until the end._

_Like the briar bushes the Eldegoss we eat hide in._

_Thorn?_ You ask him, and he shakes his head no. _Briar?_ He ponders more about that one.

_Say it out loud,_ he requests, and you oblige him.

“Briar,” you attempt, getting the word out for him to hear audibly.

_Yes, I like that one,_ comes his reply, and you can _feel_ how pleased he is with the name. It’s his own, and he feels more part of the team with a name of his own.

“Is that the name you came up with?” Milo pipes up, looking back up at your little flying group.

“That’s right, it’s the one he liked the most,” you answer, petting his head.

“That’s great!” Milo smiles up at you, happy for you and Braviary. He leads you right up to the Stadium with that same grin plastered on his face, eager to introduce you to his team. He takes you right inside, and you bring your two Pokémon in after you.

“Do your Pokémon stay at the Stadium?” You ask, unsure why he couldn’t show them to you earlier.

“Only on my days off, so they can still get the exercise in that they need! I don’t often have time to work them when I’m working on the farm, so my Gym Trainers here train with them for me!” Milo explains, hands on his hips as the two of you wait for a Gym Trainer to bring out his whole team.

They’re not brought out in their balls, either. The whole lot of them, all eight, trot out behind a Gym Trainer with Milo’s Pokéballs in a box. She gives the box to Milo when she gets close, and he pulls the balls out and tucks them into the pockets of his overalls. He immediately goes to greet his Pokémon, hugging and petting each one in turn, and giving them all love and attention.

“Are you going to introduce me to them now?” You ask, leaning against your cane as you come to stand beside Milo.

“Of course!” He replies, smiling up at you. It’s a little weird to be taller than him, even if it’s only by a bit. It’s nice not to be the shortest man around, though Milo could probably bench you, so his height certainly isn’t making him any less of a man.

Milo turns to each of his Pokémon and introduces each one to you. “This is Luscious, my Ludicolo, and Dotty, my Shiftry. This one is Puff, my Eldegoss, and this is Bella, my Bellossom. Cherrim here is called Sunny, and Tsareena is Lady. And finally, Flapple is Aqua, and Appletun is Sonic. They’re, uh, slightly more embarrassing, but I named them after the people who got me them as little Applin, so the names don’t fit…that well…” Milo scratches at the back of his neck awkwardly, and you laugh lightly.

You wonder who got them for him. Weren’t Applin something you gifted to someone you love? Aqua could be Nessa, but Sonic? Sonia, maybe? You don’t want to ask in case you’re wrong and it’s private, but you’re endlessly curious now. “It’s lovely to meet all of them,” you tell Milo, connecting briefly to each one as he points them out and sensing how loving and happy each Pokémon is. They’re really all good fits for Milo.

“I’m glad you think so! Normally, I’d ask to battle you, but Nessa texted me yesterday complaining about your skills. I don’t kid myself in pretending I’ll fair better than she did, so I’ll take her word for how strong you are in battle. But I wanted you to meet my Pokémon regardless, and see what they think of you.” Milo reaches out to pet one of his Pokémon, turning away from you to face them as he speaks.

“I hope they think well of me,” you respond hopefully, and Milo nods.

“They can sense you’re a good person. I think anyone willing to risk their life to save their Pokémon is a good person. Come with me, let’s go out to the pitch.” Milo begins walking slowly through the lobby, letting you keep pace with him as you follow after his group of Pokémon.

“Why?” You ask, as you thought you weren’t going to battle.

“To let our Pokémon run about, of course!” Milo shoots back, looking over his shoulder and giving you a smile. You nod, letting him lead you through a set of doors and down the hallways of the inside of the Stadium. He leads you out onto the pitch, letting his Pokémon run free.

There’s a few Gym Trainers with their Pokémon, training away for the upcoming Gym Challenge. Milo waves to them, and turns back to you. “Let your Pokémon do as they please, they may use the equipment here if they like.” Milo gestures out ahead of himself, pointing out the different training equipment.

“Thank you,” you reply, unsure how else to respond. You’re not sure why he wants you to come out here.

“Follow me,” he repeats, leading you over to a bench. He takes a seat and pats the spot beside him, and you sit next to him. “I love Nessa a lot, so if you’ve managed to impress her, you’re clearly someone to pay attention to. So I’d like to get to know a little bit more about your situation. What happened? Why did you get banned?” There’s a lot in that to digest, so you blink for a moment as you process.

“Love Nessa?” Is the first thing you ask, even though you feel like it shouldn’t catch you off guard at this point.

“Ah,” Milo blushes and scratches the back of his head again. “Nessa is my girlfriend, and I love her a great deal. Which is why, since you’ve impressed her, you’ve impressed me.” He looks away, out at the pitch, to avoid you seeing his flaming cheeks.

“Oh.” That wasn’t something you were aware of before now. You thought Nessa was with Sonia. “Well, uh.” In order to not be awkward, you switch topics back to what he originally asked you about. “I got banned for breaking Leon’s unspoken rules,” you mutter sarcastically.

“Unspoken rules?” It’s Milo’s turn to be confused as he turns back to you, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Don’t piss him off, and only do what he says,” you pout, and Milo chuckles awkwardly.

“You’re going to have to elaborate. I know he can be a bit, ah, stubborn,” Milo mumbles, and you sputter.

“A bit?! He’s the most stubborn dumbass I’ve ever seen!” You roar, and Milo laughs a little more wholly at that.

“Ok, you’re not wrong, he’s very stubborn!” Milo shakes his head with a sigh. “What did you do to piss him off?” You launch into your story once more, telling Milo all the details, starting with trying to get an endorsement from Raihan and ending with Raihan giving you the idea to ask other Gym Leaders for help.

“Basically, if I want to get back in the Gym Challenge, and do something real with my life, I need to get unbanned. I don’t want to work, underpaid, in a café I can barely keep up with for the rest of my life. I want to do something _real_ , like become a Trainer!” You finish, wonder in your voice as you tell Milo your dream.

“That’s a good goal to have. I’ll help you how I can, though convincing Leon to unban you after all that will be a true challenge. You may have to do some work yourself, too,” Milo warns, giving you a serious look.

“I know, Nessa already warned me, too. I plan to go to him next, and try to beat him at his own game. I know I don’t stand much of a chance of winning with only two Pokémon, but hopefully I can beat him well enough with two for him to realize what kind of mistake he’s making.” You’re determined to achieve this, and you’ll stop at nothing to convince Leon of your case.

“Then I wish you luck. You’ll need it.” Milo stands with that. “I should get back to work. There’s still lots of field left to weed, and not a lot of daylight left!” He sighs, though he wears a smile. “Come on, I’ll lead you out,” he kindly offers, and you take his outstretched hand as he helps you to your feet.

“Thank you, for everything,” you comment as you pass him. He only nods.

“My pleasure.” He takes you out of the Stadium, then, leading you outside. “Where are you heading from here?” He asks, tilting his head at you.

“Taking Nessa’s advice and going to Wyndon to confront Leon myself,” you answer honestly, and Milo nods.

“Good luck, then. You’ll need it. Let me know if you need anything else.” Milo shakes your hand politely before parting ways with you, jogging lightly as he heads back to his family home to continue working the fields.

You climb on Braviary’s back. It’s way too far to fly the whole way, so you know you’ll have to take the train. There’s no train in this town, though, so you’re going to have to fly back to somewhere where there is one. It’s too late in the day to do that tonight, however, so you just head to the Center to sleep for the night.

In the morning you’ll head out to go face Leon. For now, you try to get the best sleep you can, as you know you’ll need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nessa doesn't technically _have_ a Seaking, but I needed her to have six Pokémon. Because why wouldn't she have six? I hate how no one ever has a full team in these games. Like she's a competitive battler, of COURSE she has a full team. So I picked the Goldeen from her gym team and decided she'd have a Seaking, too. She still has the Goldeen, she just _also_ has a Seaking so she can competitively battle. 
> 
> I've made Nessa out to be kind of a bitch, but I promise she's not. She's just closed off and stubborn. She'll become a fun friend eventually. 
> 
> Milo canonically has a little brother. Like Gordie has siblings. I'm not making these characters up I promise. But they _do_ make the characters more interesting. Hopefully one day they'll get canonical names and I can use those. 
> 
> Come at me for Milo's names I am one man trying to come up with them ok I did my best. Nessa and Sonia both got him Applin so he named them after them FIGHT ME. POLY SHIPS ARE MY LIFEBLOOD. I have a fic planned for the three of them and I'll write it at some point lol. As he only mentions Nessa, however, they're the only one with their relationship tagged. But they are all together!


	15. Chapter Twelve

It turns out that Motostoke is slightly closer than Hulbury, so you decide to head back that way to take the train to Wyndon. The flight is nice, though it does nothing to ease your anxieties. By the time you’re catching the train in Motostoke, it’s already noon, which means you won’t be getting to Wyndon until late.

Too late to go bother Leon, anyways, so you know you’ll be heading to a Center for the night the moment you get there. Well, you do have some time to sight see, but you aren’t really interested in that. You’re here to get an endorsement from Leon, and that’s all.

The day drags by outside your window, Braviary resting inside his ball while Espeon naps on your lap. You idly pet her while listening to music, waiting for the train to arrive in Wyndon. It’s a slow ride, and you spend most of it being nervous for what’s going to happen, but you eventually arrive in Wyndon and make your way to the Center. You get some food from the cafeteria, your funds getting dangerously low at this point, and eat in silence with your Pokémon before retiring for the night.

Sleep isn’t something that comes to you easily the night before you’re set to go bug Leon, and you toss and turn as you imagine every awful scenario that could possibly play out in your head. You do eventually fall asleep at some point, though you don’t bother to set an alarm so you can get as much sleep as you need.

Which leads to you not waking up until the afternoon. With not a ton of time on your hands to go convincing Leon of your skills, you quickly get yourself ready, grab some food from the cafeteria for you and your team, and head off to Battle Tower, which is smack in the middle of Wyndon. It’s not hard to get to, Braviary is able to fly you straight there over all the buildings, but it _is_ massive. It looms over the city, its large arena at the top not even visible from the bottom. You have to look way up to see the very top of it.

Braviary lands near the doors, and heads inside with you and Espeon. You see other people with their Pokémon coming and going, and lots of Pokémon in the courtyard out front, so you assume it’s fine. You’re not sure what to do once inside, however, as you’re not sure how to ask for Leon. Do you just go up to the counter and ask for him? That seems too easy, but it’s your best bet right now.

Nervous, you limp over to the counter, leaning against it for support while you wait for someone to help you. “How can I help you today?” A young man asks as he comes over to you.

“I’m not sure, it’s kind of complicated, but I was hoping to be able to talk with Leon about my being banned from the Gym Challenge.” The young man frowns at your answer and shakes his head sadly.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you there. This is the reception for Battle Tower. If you’re looking to battle, however, I can get you signed up!” He offers, and you sigh.

“That’s ok, I’m not looking to battle right now. Where would I go to request Leon, do you know?” The man shakes his head again, and you pout slightly.

“No one down here can help you with that. The Chairman is a busy man, I’m afraid we can’t call him for anyone. Though, if you want my advice, he sometimes goes and fights with Trainers who have good win streaks in the Battle Tower. So if you battle well enough, maybe you’ll catch his attention that way!” This makes you light up. You have a chance! And battling is something you’re good at, too.

“Sure, I’ll do that, then. Thank you.” A small smile settles on your face, and the man smiles back at you.

“Great! I’ll just get you all sorted first, then. Let me just get your details from you, and the three Pokémon you’ll be using in battles.” Uh oh, that’s a problem. You don’t _have_ three Pokémon to battle with, you only have two. How are you going to be able to enter now?

“Uh, I only have these two…” You mumble, pointing behind you at your Espeon and Braviary. The man waves it off, however.

“Then you’ll have to use one of the rental Pokémon available. It’s ok, they’re all raised and trained by top Trainers here, so you can be sure you’ll be getting a solid addition to your team!” He adds when you look skeptical.

“Ok, if I need a rental Pokémon, I’ll take one.” Hopefully your ability to bond with Pokémon aides you in picking a good team mate. You think about the different type coverage you have available to you, and think of the different kinds of Pokémon that could fill the holes in that coverage. Espeon has Psychic, Ghost, Grass, Fairy, and Rock-type moves, and Braviary has Flying, Fire, Rock, Fighting, and Bug-type moves, which leaves you with only a few holes. You can’t hit Electric and Fairy-types, so something with Ground, Steel, or Poison-type moves would be really helpful for your team.

The man gets you all signed up, and shows you where the room for the rental Pokémon are, so you can meet each one and find the best one for your team. “You know,” he adds after explaining everything. “Most people just pick their team off the list. Not a lot of people want to get to know the Pokémon before using them.”

“Really? You’d think more people would want to know what they’re adding to their team before they do.” It surprises you a little bit, only because it seems weird to you that no one would be curious what the Pokémon were like before taking them.

“Yeah, most people just trust in how well they’re raised, so they don’t feel the need to meet them. They know they’re going to be well behaved, strong Pokémon who can listen to any Trainer.” The man waves his hands about lazily as he explains, and you nod.

“Huh, interesting. Well, thank you for letting me meet with them, then.” You’re really grateful, as your bond would be useless just looking at a list and trying to decide from there.

“Well, there’s no rule saying you _can’t_ , so I don’t see the problem. If anyone gives you any trouble, though, uh, just tell them the front desk sent you.” He scratches at his scraggly beard as he talks, and you nod along to his words.

“Got it, thanks!” With that, you follow his directions back into the tower, to go locate the room with all the rental Pokémon. You have to go up a few flights of stairs, which is a pain, but you eventually locate the room.

It’s large, with many Pokémon milling about. The area is set up with trees, ponds, dirt, and generally feels like a place Pokémon would _want_ to be. It feels made just for them. The Pokémon present are all calm and happy, and the few Trainers around them are more here to watch them than to train them at the moment. These are the Pokémon that are currently available to be rented for the Battle Tower.

You wander in, looking over each Pokémon individually. You want one that’s going to fill a niche in your team, but also listen well to you through your bond. A Steelix napping in the corner catches your eye. They’re Ground-Steel-type, so you know it likely would have the moves you need to have full coverage against all opponents. You hobble over to it, and it wakes up when you come near.

_Hello there,_ you greet as you come up to it, leaning over slightly so it can see you without getting up. It blinks big eyes open slowly, then shifts to sit up anyways. It’s so big, much bigger than anyone on your current team, and it’s slightly intimidating to be so close to such a massive beast. You know it won’t hurt you, as it’s well trained, but the fear remains regardless. You reach out your hand, and it leans down and carefully butts its head against your hand so you’ll pet it. _Oh aren’t you a big softie?_ You coo through the bond, and you _feel_ him accept your connection.

_I like pets, they’re nice. Who are you?_ He asks, letting you pet his head regardless.

_I’m a Trainer. I’m trying to battle in the Battle Tower, but I need a third Pokémon for my team. Would you like to join me?_ He leans away from you at that, yawning and stretching himself out. He rotates each large rock that makes up his body, slowly working out the kinks from his sleep.

_That sounds like fun, I haven’t battled in a while. You seem strong, so I shall battle with you. Let us do well together._ He’s calm and well mannered, so you see what the clerk at the front desk meant about how well trained these Pokémon are. They really will listen to anyone, which is nice.

He follows behind you as you limp over to one of the Trainers on staff, and she blinks owlishly at you as you approach. “Can I help you?” She asks, sounding slightly confused to see you.

“I’m, um, here to rent a Pokémon for Battle Tower? And I’d like to rent this one.” You gesture behind you at the massive Pokémon following you, and the woman relaxes as she comes to understand why you’re here.

“I see! Sure thing, let me fetch his ball for you.” The woman gives you a small smile before trotting off to a shelf full of balls. She grabs one and returns to you, handing it back to you. You use it to recall the massive Pokémon following you before thanking the woman. “Of course, please return him when you’re finished battling for the day.” She waves you off, and you head back out the way you came in.

Back in the lobby, the clerk from before gets you finished signing up before letting you know when you’re scheduled to begin your battles. “The first few you fight will be in one of the warm-up rooms, but once you get a streak going, they move you up to the arena. Good luck, and I hope you’re able to go far!” He finishes by giving you instructions up to the warm up room, and you’re thankful this time you can use the main elevator to get up there.

The ride is smooth as you ride the fast elevator, and you recall your team as you approach the room. You’re not sure if you’ll begin battling right away when you enter or not, so it’s best to be prepared and not let any of your potential opponents see what’s on your team.

You open the door and walk in. Inside, two Trainers currently battle in the middle of the room, while the rest fill stands that remind you of the ones often seen inside gymnasiums where you’re from. They’re currently partially pulled out to accommodate a few Trainers and Pokémon sitting and watching.

You let Espeon back out as you climb up the bleachers. You sit near the front so you can get a good seat for the battle, and catch a look at the clock. Over an hour to go before you begin, so you settle in to watch some matches to see what kind of opponents you’re up against.

Everyone you watch battle is really good, but you’re confident you can beat them. You beat Nessa, after all, and she had a full team. This time, you’re on even ground with each one of your opponents, as you all will have three Pokémon each. Maintaining a winning streak should be a breeze for you.

The time finally comes when you’re called up to begin battling, and you take a deep breath as you recall Espeon. Time to get this started. You’ve seen the man you’re up against lose a few battles – you’ve yet to see him win one – so you’re not that nervous for your first match.

True to his previous matches, he loses pretty spectacularly against you, and you only have to use two Pokémon against him. He doesn’t even manage to take out one of your Pokémon, you recall Espeon to use Steelix, who has better type coverage against what was last thrown out. If this is how the matches are going to go, you have no fears about how long it’ll take you to move up to the arena upstairs.

The next Trainers you fight go similarly, and you keep winning match after match against these Trainers. You and your Pokémon are getting pretty exhausted from it, however, even with someone healing up your team after every match. It’s still a lot of fighting back to back for them, and soon they’ll need a break.

Thankfully, you get that break as soon as you’re moved upstairs. You’re given a new time slot, and directions upstairs, along with two other Trainers who were battling while you were. You beat them both, but they both managed to beat everyone else, and tied against each other, so all three of you are moving on to the top arena. It’s exciting, and nerve wracking, as you’re sure the Trainers up there are going to be even better.

There’s a green room, here, as no one is allowed up to watch the matches in the arena. You can see what’s happening on a small screen hovering in the corner of the room, but only the two Trainers battling are allowed up to the top arena, where Dynamaxing can happen. You clutch your wrist, a reminder you have no Dynamax band, and no way of obtaining one. You’d looked into them once, and they’re insanely expensive. You don’t see yourself saving up for one any time soon, even if it would help tremendously in battle.

You get to watch a few matches while your Pokémon nap in their balls. You’re not up for a bit, so once again, you get the luxury of watching potential future opponents and what strategies they use. You even pick up a few things you can get Steelix to do, as fighting with such a slow, bulky Pokémon is not something you’re used to. It takes different strategy in battle to make the best use of him.

Eventually, it’s your turn, and you take a deep breath as you head through the doors up to the arena. No one stops you and tells you that you can’t use your cane, so you keep hold of it and march up there with as much dignity as you can muster when you have to limp.

You hold yourself up as straight as you can as you battle against a tough older woman. She puts up a good fight, but ultimately loses to you. That’s it, then, you realize; you’re up here now until you lose. Or until you fight Leon, whichever happens first. You’re really hoping to make it to Leon, however, so you’re going to have to battle your ass off to make that happen.

Which means no stupid mistakes, as weakening your Pokémon too much will make each subsequent battle harder. Yes, they’re healed between matches, but they still get tired. They’re not battle machines like the games depict, they’re living creatures that need breaks, too. So you don’t want to push your team _too_ hard and hurt them accidentally.

When Espeon gets taken out early in a match that you barely win, you call for a break for your Pokémon. “Does that mean you forfeit?” The referee calls from the sidelines.

“No.” Dammit, you can’t even take a break? It’s frustrating you have to keep battling when your Pokémon want to rest, but you’re _so close,_ you’re sure. You must be at this point, you’ve been winning tons of battles and haven’t lost a single one yet.

“Then I’ll send for the next opponent,” the ref answers, turning and heading for the green room.

While he’s gone, however, someone else comes out from the room at the opposite end of the arena to the entrance to the green room. You aren’t sure what it leads to, or where it goes, but when you see the mane of purple hair behind the man walking out to see you, you realize it likely goes somewhere further within the tower that Leon can access.

As Leon gets closer, he seems to recognize you, as he visibly balks at your presence. His hands go up and his eyes go wide as he looks you over. “You?! What are you doing here?!” He demands, taking the final steps up to the circle the battle will take place in drawn on the ground.

“Trying to get your attention.” You smirk as you tell him the truth. He frowns at this, glaring lightly.

“You can’t be serious. What do you want?” He crosses his arms as he stands, staring intimidatingly down at you.

“To be unbanned from the Gym Challenge.” Again, you’re honest with him, and again, he reacts negatively to you.

“No.” His single word holds a note of finality that angers you.

“Just see me battle and hear me out, will you? I’m not nothing, let me show you I deserve it!” You plead, and Leon raises a single eyebrow at you.

“I have a duty to take your challenge seriously, but don’t take that as an invitation to hear you out. I have the full intention of beating you into the ground and leaving.” He pulls a Pokéball from his belt, and you huff.

“ _If_ you can beat me! I’ll show you that you should be taking me seriously!” You pull out a Pokéball as well, facing him as you lean against your cane.

You take a deep breath, steadying yourself. Leon raises a single eyebrow and looks at you skeptically, as if he doesn’t believe you’ll be much of a challenge at all. Perhaps you won’t. But you’re going to try your best to impress the man and have him listen to you.

Leon bounces in place, rolling his shoulders and twisting his wrists. He gets himself ready for the match, slapping his cheeks twice before grabbing his cape and tearing it off in an elegant gesture. He then winds up and tosses his first Pokéball out onto the field.

Leon’s first Pokémon is Aegislash. The one you happen to start with is Steelix, as you want to try to save your best for last. Espeon has the best chance against Charizard with her Rock-type move, which you’re still not sure _how_ she managed to learn, but you know Leon won’t be expecting it at all.

“King’s Shield!” Leon commands, eyebrows pulled down in a serious expression as he focuses on the battle. Whether he’s taking it serious or not is yet to be seen, but you’re going to try your best regardless.

_Saw that coming, use Iron Defense to start. Let’s make it impossible for Aegislash to take you down!_ You request, and Steelix begins hardening himself to further raise his already ridiculously high Defense. _Good luck getting past that, Leon,_ you muse, waiting to see how Leon reacts to this.

His protective first move wasted, Leon frowns slightly as he orders his next attack. “Use Sacred Sword!” You know it’s a Fighting-type move, which is super effective against Steelix, but you’re not worried. Aegislash changes forms, unsheathing himself into Sword Form, and springs into action.

_Hit back with Earthquake!_ The ground beneath you begins to rumble, and you drop yourself to your knees to protect your leg from injury from the wide-reaching attack. The ground all around rumbles, and as Aegislash slashes against Steelix, the ground beneath him erupts, knocking him upwards into the air before he tumbles back down. Aegislash recovers from the hit, while Steelix rolls off the minimal damage he took from the opposing move.

“Close Combat this time!” Another Fighting-type move, but one that leaves Aegislash’s weak defences open to further attack. This attack of Aegislash’s does some damage, Steelix barely shaking it off this time. He won’t withstand another hit like that, so hopefully one more of his moves will finish the already weak Aegislash off.

_Earthquake again!_ You know he has other Ground-type moves that he knows, but none are as strong as Earthquake, and the attack is near impossible to dodge. You remain on the ground, and once again it begins to shake as Steelix attacks Aegislash with another hard-hitting move. The ground beneath him blasts him into the air once more, and this time, he lands harshly on the ground. He struggles for a brief moment, trying desperately to get up, but ultimately fails. You smirk, having taken the early lead on Leon.

The man frowns further when his Pokémon faints, and he recalls him with a deep sigh. He fishes on his belt for his next Pokémon, winding up and tossing out his Dragapult this time. “Brine!” Leon commands immediately, and Dragapult wastes no time in blasting your unsuspecting Steelix with a hard-hitting Water move.

It’s rather devastating, given how it blasts Steelix so hard it knocks him over backwards. He begins towering towards you, falling in slow motion. You fumble for his ball, and it slips out of your hand, rolling away from you. Here on your ass, there’s no way you can get up and get out of the way. You shield yourself, closing your eyes as you pray to whatever beings can hear you to please have some mercy. He nearly hits you, landing heavily beside you, and you feel the shockwave of it as you hear the loud crash beside you. It makes your ears ring for a moment, and you gasp with relief as you realize you’re fine.

You get up and grab his Pokéball then, recalling the massive beast. Leon is looking on disappointedly, and you worry you’ve further fucked up. He says nothing, however, waiting instead for you to send out your next Pokémon.

You send out Espeon, knowing she has a Fairy-type move and a Ghost-type move, both of which will be super effective against the opposing Dragapult. Braviary, meanwhile, has nothing, but he _does_ have Rock moves for the upcoming Charizard. Leon would never fight without him, so you _know_ he’s coming up next. Braviary can take to the skies with him, and can probably tank a single Dynamax attack.

Leon smirks like you’ve walked into a trap, unknowing what he himself has walked into. _You know the drill, Kassy. Double Team, then Teleport to a different double close to Dragapult, and use Sand Attack, then Teleport away._ You’ve done this enough times that you barely have to tell her the strategy at this point, she’s already doing it as soon as she’s on the field.

“Phantom Force!” Leon yells, and Dragapult disappears into the ground below. You aren’t bothered, it’s not going to help him figure out which double Espeon is. She Teleports to one further away from herself, as she isn’t sure where Dragapult will appear next. When he pops up to attack a double, he harmlessly passes through it. Espeon quickly teleports to the one next to the recently attacked double and hits Dragapult with Sand Attack.

The Dragon squeals as he wipes at his eyes, and Leon looks even more frustrated. _Good_ , you think, proud of Espeon for her quick reaction. _Use Calm Mind first, then we’re going to switch to attacking. Use Dazzling Gleam next,_ you instruct, and Espeon sends you her confirmation through the bond.

“Try Shadow Ball!” Leon commands, and you snort, because you’re about to use the same move against him in the future. The ball of shadowy energy passes through one of the copies of Espeon, and all the Espeon copies on the field begin preparing to attack. The gem only gleams on one of them, revealing her position to Leon as she attacks the opposing Dragapult. The powerful flash that’s unleashed is hard to dodge, and Leon’s Pokémon goes tumbling backwards.

Leon seems to have figured out which double Espeon is moving to now, as you can see his eyes on her. “Phantom Force!” Leon orders, pointing out the correct double. Espeon hisses, and barely manages to Teleport out of the way in time for the attack. Leon’s still got his eyes on her, however, as he sees which one she’s moved to and points her out.

_We have to hit him before he hits us! Try again, quickly!_ You urge, hoping she’s faster than the quick Dragapult you’re up against. She prepares her attack as Leon has Dragapult rush at her. The attack goes off just as she’s nailed by the hit, rocketing backwards and tumbling hard along the ground. You wince in pain as the connection between the two of you is cut, the hit having knocked her out cold.

Dragapult is barely hanging in there, however, and is panting heavily. Braviary _should_ be able to finish this off, but it’s going to leave you a bit at a disadvantage as Charizard comes in. It’s frustrating, but you recall Espeon and send out your last Pokémon.

Braviary appears in a flash of light near Dragapult, and you have him launch immediately into action. _Ok, go for Flying-type moves, as we have nothing super effective against this one. Take him down, he should go down in one more hit!_ You encourage, bracing yourself to get hit by the quick Dragapult first.

“Use Thunderbolt!” Leon orders, and you grimace.

_Crap, of course he’d have a super effective move for you…_ It worries you, but you know he’ll tank the hit. It just puts him at further disadvantage against Leon. Dragapult begins charging his move, and Braviary swoops in to hit him.

Your Braviary tries to dodge the attack, he really does, but it still hits him. He tucks his wings in and rolls with the hit, remaining airborne as he throws his wings back out when he’s done a complete 360. He balances himself and nails Dragapult with one of his wings, knocking the Dragon-type backwards and out of commission.

Leon’s frown pulls down further, but he’s got you right where he wants you. You’re not sure you can actually beat his Gigantamax Charizard, but dammit, you’re both going to try your best. Thing is, Charizard has a Rock-type move, too, so either way, you’re going down eventually. It’s about how much damage you can cause the opponent before you’re taken out.

Rock-type moves are a double weakness of Charizard’s, so you know you have the chance to do some serious damage if you manage to hit him. Which, shouldn’t be too hard, as he’ll be massive. Leon recalls his fainted partner while you wait, and pulls out his final Pokéball. “Let’s finish this quickly, my friend!” Leon shouts as he tosses the Pokéball out. Charizard appears with a loud roar, and you take a deep breath to steel yourself.

_We got this, hit him with Rock Slide!_ You command, and Braviary launches his attack at Charizard. Leon, wise to your plan, recalls the beast just before the attack hits, with a loud shout.

“It’s time to Gigantamax!” He has a confident look on his face as he shouts it, and you know you’re in for some trouble now. You grimace as you watch, the ball becoming bigger as Leon easily launches it with a single hand. The man is impressively strong, and you’re left in awe as the massive Fire-type becomes even larger behind Leon. Which means this is your cue to get the fuck out of the way, so you don’t get hit by any Dynamax attacks. “Use Max Rockfall!” He orders, and you bite your lip.

_Get him first! Get him with Rock Slide again!_ It’s nearly impossible for the attack to miss the large Pokémon, so you aren’t worried about that. What you _are_ worried about, however, is who’s going to be able to attack first. You pray Braviary gets in there before Charizard’s attack goes off.

A towering wall of rock appears in front of Charizard just as Braviary launches a landslide of rocks down at Charizard. The massive Pokémon recoils in pain from the move, roaring out his anguish. It looks like Braviary did some serious damage with that one hit, as Charizard seems to be barely hanging in there. He’s clutching his leg with one hand to prop himself up, and then he roars once more as he sends the massive plank of rock forward onto Braviary.

The hit slams him into the ground, the rocks crumbling into dust upon making contact with the floor. You know before the dust dissipates, however, that Braviary is unconscious, due to the drop of your bond. Leon looks on curiously, waiting for his opponent to possibly rise from the dust. When you pull out your ball and recall him, Leon wears a cocky smirk.

“You held up better than I expected, I’ll give you that.” At least you made him work for his victory, right? It still feels like shit to lose again, but you should have expected nothing less from the strongest Trainer in Galar.

“Thanks. I told you I wasn’t someone to take lightly.” Leon nods at your words, raising a hand to his chin.

“You _did_ make me go all out, there’s few opponents of mine that are capable of that. Perhaps, in another time, I would have even considered you a rival of sorts.” Leon looks you over, contemplating something. You hope it’s unbanning you from the Gym Challenge that he’s thinking about.

“So you think I deserve a chance now?” You ask hopefully, limping back closer to the center of the room to better talk with him.

“No.” The finality of it hurts. You flinch involuntarily. “Though, we can’t talk here. This arena is needed for the next match. Come with me.” Leon turns on his heel then, heading back for the entrance he came out of. You try to increase your pace to follow him, though he holds the door open and waits for you regardless. Even Charizard is faster than you, however, reaching the door and passing Leon before you.

It leads down a short hallway that ends at a small elevator. There’s only room in it for a couple people, so Leon recalls his large partner at last as you board the elevator. “Where are we going?” You ask, curious where this personal elevator of Leon’s is going to take him.

“My office.” He doesn’t even look at you as he talks, instead looking off ahead as he contemplates something. He continues stroking his short beard as his hand remains on his chin, and you watch him curiously.

The elevator ride comes to a stop, and Leon leads you out of it. He releases Charizard the moment they’re back out of the elevator, and Leon follows the large Pokémon down a hallway. You wonder if he’s following the Pokémon because he would get lost if he didn’t.

Eventually, you reach a set of fancy double doors, and Charizard waits beside them as Leon pushes them open. Inside is a large office space that backs onto a wall of all windows, an ornate desk sitting in front of the windows. A large, comfy looking chair is stationed behind it, currently empty as it’s partially blocked by mountains of paperwork on the desk. There are plants growing in each corner of the wall with the door, and another set of fancy double doors to your left leads to a closed room, that you’re not immediately sure where it leads.

This is Rose’s old office, and you recognize that. The décor is different, however, more sporty and modern to suit Leon’s tastes. There’s a large picture of all the current Gym Leaders, Leon Charizard posing in the middle, along the wall opposite the closed doors. Beneath it sits a comfy couch, which Leon gestures for you to take a seat in.

You thankfully hobble over there and crash into it, sighing with relief to be off your sore leg. Leon comes to stand nearby, towering over you rather intimidatingly. The light from the windows is much brighter than the overhead light, leaving Leon with only the left side of his face lit up from the light of the window. It makes him look even scarier in this moment.

You’re going to have to get this conversation over with eventually, as much as it weighs at you like a stone in your stomach. With a deep breath, you steady yourself to begin your second battle with Leon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leon big scary and also beat our asses in battle oof. Hang on to your hats because the next chapter is going to hurt.


	16. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: There is a suicide attempt in this chapter

“So why can’t I be unbanned from the Gym Challenge?” You ask, wanting to get this conversation with Leon over with.

“Because you’re not ready,” comes Leon’s gravelly reply. After your battle together, it definitely isn’t the answer you’re expecting.

“What do you mean? Literally every Gym Leader I’ve fought with disagrees with you. I _am_ ready!” You insist, but Leon shakes his head at you.

“All you showed me today was that you’re not ready. You nearly got your shit kicked in by a Steelix falling on you! You didn’t even _try_ to move out of the way or stop it! You could have been seriously injured by that!” He yells, glaring at you from his heightened position above you.

Well, he does kind of have a point. You _did_ just freeze in that moment. “Yeah, but you were the one who knocked him in my direction! What were _you_ thinking? _You_ could have got me seriously hurt!” You turn it back around on him, which he distinctly does not like.

“It’s always someone else’s fault with you! You never take responsibility for your own actions!” Leon shouts back, shaking his head with frustration. He’s clearly exasperated with you already, which isn’t a good sign, so you know you have to turn this back around in your favour.

“I do so! When they’re actually my fault! But so far, everything you’re blaming me for is stuff that I had nothing to do with! It was just unfortunate luck every time! It’s not my fault I’m unlucky!” You wail, throwing your arms up as you do. Your cane falls over from the action, clattering loudly on the ground. Embarrassed, you lean forward and pick it up with a mumbled, “sorry.”

“Unlucky seems like a good enough reason to keep you banned from the Gym Challenge to me. You’re not ready, you’re nowhere _near_ responsible enough, and you consistently put yourself in danger! That’s not someone I feel safe putting through the Gym Challenge, and it’s _my_ job to make sure no one _dies_ while completing it! So no, I’m not unbanning you any time soon, not until you’re _actually_ ready to face dangers and reality.” You frown at his words, growing angrier with him once again.

“Why are you the only one who thinks that, then?! Everyone else thinks I’m ready, it’s _literally_ just you!” You fire back, calling him on his bullshit.

“I’m aware you’ve harassed the other Gym Leaders into fighting your battles, but this is one time their say does not matter. You’re not ready, you continue to show me ways in which you’re not ready to be a Trainer, and I’m not changing my mind!” Leon roars, and you grimace awkwardly.

“I did not _harass_ anyone! They all willingly gave me their time, and I did my best to prove I was worth that time!” You cry, aggravated Leon still thinks you’re not worth his time.

“Ah, yes, bugging a Gym Leader on his day off is _totally_ not harassing, my bad,” Leon mocks, giving you a sarcastic leer.

It makes your skin crawl. And it makes you feel bad for harassing Milo, as you hadn’t intended for that. Of course the man would be too nice to tell you off on his day off. You shouldn’t have gone bothering him. “Look, Milo still thought I deserved a chance to do the Gym Challenge. I don’t get why you refuse to see this from any other perspective than your own! You don’t even know me, and you won’t even give me a chance to show you I’m not as useless as you think I am!” You’re growing incredibly frustrated, tired of going around in circles with this man.

“I know enough! You’re not worth the chance!” You flinch at his tone, and the anger swirling in his golden eyes.

“Please…” You beg, clasping your hands in front of you. “I have nothing else. I’m disabled, and this is one of the few things I can _actually_ do, and do well! I have no other chances if I can’t do this! _Please_ , doing the Gym Challenge is everything to me!” It’s literally your last means of proving who you are, so if you don’t get the chance…

Well, you’re not seeing much of a reason to keep fighting these days, let’s put it that way.

“I’m sure, if you actually tried, you’d find other things you can do to make a living here.” Leon is completely unsympathetic to your plight, and it makes you groan.

“ _No,_ there isn’t, as I _tried_ that angle already! I can’t do anything, I’m too physically disabled for pretty much all kinds of work! I barely manage to hold down my job at the Battle Café in Hammerlocke, and that’s _only_ because I’m such a good battler, that my boss can’t find it in him to fire me when I’m next to useless for everything else! I can’t even work enough hours there to afford rent literally _anywhere_! Please, you have to help me!” It feels awful that you have to pour your heart out to this man who barely cares, which feels ironic, as you’ve _seen_ him publicly announce how much he loves the, well, the possibly former you. You still have no proof it’s _actually_ you, after all.

“If you’re really so disabled, you can go live in Spikemuth with all the other disabled people. They have social programs there for people like you,” Leon offers, though his tone is cold. He clearly doesn’t want to deal with you. It’s interesting to hear him bring up Spikemuth, as apparently it’s still a place where people with disabilities are thrown so no one has to deal with them.

“Piers kicked me out, so how exactly am I supposed to live there? Please, I don’t need to live in Spikemuth, I need the Gym Challenge! I can support myself if I do the Gym Challenge! So please, please, you have to help me!” You reiterate, begging him to help you out.

“I don’t, actually, have to help you. You put yourself in this mess, and you are going to have to accept the mess you’ve made for yourself. As the saying goes, you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.” Leon casts you a glare before walking away a bit, towards his desk.

“Please, I’m not doing this to be attention seeking, I’m seriously here to improve my life! Please! This means far too much to me, and I’m out of options!” You beg, about ready to get on your knees to make your point

“I don’t care. You should have thought of this before you got yourself in so much trouble!” Leon turns back to you to narrow his sharp golden eyes at you, and his face is pulled down in anger. You finally slip from the couch, hitting your knees.

“Please! This is seriously my last option, you don’t understand how important this is to me!” You plead from your spot on the ground, looking at him with desperate eyes.

He scoffs at you. “Get off your knees. You’re not helping your case any.” He rolls his eyes at you before continuing his path back to his desk.

“Please… I need _something_ to live for… I’m really desperate…” You don’t get off your knees despite his request to, as you’re too upset to really try that right now.

“You have your Pokémon, no? Live for them.” Leon sounds completely unsympathetic, and he doesn’t even bother to cast you a glance as he sits down at his desk, stretching before pulling a piece of paper towards him.

Guess you’re going to have to bring out the big guns, here. He’s not going to like hearing your darkest truths, but it’s reached the point where it’s now necessary to get your point across. “Leon…” you begin, scratching at your arm nervously. “I’m suicidal. I have _nothing_ going for me, and I’m fucking depressed as hell. My life is awful. _Please, please_ help me. _Please._ ” You beseech, letting the tears leak down your face without shame.

Leon looks up then, an unreadable expression on his face. “I. Don’t. Care.” He maintains his position, giving you one last hard look before returning to his paperwork. “I’m busy, and I’m not hearing anymore of your garbage. Go build a life worth living for yourself, like everyone else has, and stop expecting everything to be dropped in front of you. I don’t have time for this.”

His words cut you to your core. He doesn’t care? At all? You thought he was keeping you out of the Gym Challenge to keep you _safe_ , to keep you from _dying_ , and you just told this man you’re dying and he doesn’t care? What the hell are you supposed to do now? You feel so helpless, like nothing you do will work out anyways, so why bother? Why fight so hard for a future you will never get, as people like Leon believe you don’t deserve it? What should you even do anymore? It’s tiring and frustrating and exhausting all at once, and you just want to sleep for the rest of forever.

You could do that, too.

Why bother living? It’s clearly not working out, and it’s never going to work out, either. You’re always going to be homeless, struggling to get by with working in a café that doesn’t actually want you, barely getting enough hours to afford your basic necessities. You had a better life back home, and _that_ one was so terrible you were willing to give up everything, your family and friends, everything you’d worked for, just for a shot at a better life.

And you end up with a worse one at the end of it all. You’ve got nothing to show for all your hard work, no reason to keep trying to fight this cruel world that doesn’t believe you deserve a chance.

You’re probably not the former Champion Kieran, either. It’s so unlikely, someone would have recognized _something_ about you by now if you were. _Especially_ Leon, he was one of the people who spent the most time with you. You want to scream, to cry, but you can’t do either of those things here. Silent tears fall from your eyes, and you wipe at them pathetically from your place on the floor of Leon’s office.

“Well? Are you leaving, or do I have to call security?” Leon warns darkly, glaring at you once again from his place at his desk. He looks furious, and you’re sure he’ll actually do it, so you grab your cane and begin making your way to your feet, with great difficulty.

“No, I’m leaving. Thanks for nothing. You won’t have to deal with me ever again.” Well, he may have to deal with your suicide, but you think that’s pretty unlikely. No one’s going to know it’s his fault you died, anyways, so he won’t even be bothered by that. You mean it when you say it, he won’t be seeing you or having to deal with you again. No one will.

And that’s probably for the best. You don’t belong here, anyways. You worry for your Pokémon, but you’re sure someone else can give them a better life where they’re not eating gross Center cafeteria food for the rest of their lives. They deserve better. They deserve someone who can take proper care of them, and love them fully like they need.

You hobble out of Leon’s office, and down the twisty hallways, trying to find your way out of here. Someone on staff stops you at some point, reaching out to block your path further. “Where are you going?” She demands accusatorily, making it seem like you shouldn’t be here.

“I had a meeting with Leon in his office. I’m just trying to leave now. If you could point me towards the exit, that would be great.” Your voice lacks all emotion, its weak tone barely carries it across to her.

“I’ll lead you there.” Obviously, she doesn’t trust you to find it yourself, which is fine, you’d rather be lead there anyways, so you don’t have to think. You follow along behind her silently, leaning heavily on both your cane and the wall. You don’t have the strength for this anymore. You’re tired and burnt out from all the fighting you’ve done today.

She gets you to the main elevator, and you wait to take it down to the ground level. You stumble out of there, eager to get away from this cursed tower. Someone flags you down as you near the exit, and you stop when someone physically tugs on your shirt to get your attention. You turn to face the man, and it’s the same man who helped you at the desk before. “I’m going to need you to return the rental Pokémon you borrowed,” he explains, holding his hand out.

“Oh.” You’d forgotten about that. You dig the Pokéball out of your pocket and hand it to the man, and he nods. When it seems like there’s nothing else he needs from you, you turn once again to head for the exit. You’re not sure where you’re going right now, but you just need to get _away_.

You’re not sure how long you wander for, as you’re not paying any attention to your surroundings or how long you’ve been wandering for. You just wander, lost in your own thoughts, with no bonds to any Pokémon to distract you. Both your partners are still fainted from the battle with Leon, after all. You think about heading to the Center to heal them, but then they’ll be worried about you and the state of your mental health.

You’re normally kept away from thoughts like these by your Pokémon, as they don’t let you get to such low, dark places when they’re around. They keep your thoughts positive and hopeful, but without them around, you’ve got no positivity to bounce off of. You’re all alone in the darkness. There’s no light to help guide you now.

Eventually, you reach a large bridge that crosses the river that splits what you assume is downtown from the rest of the shopping district ahead. Behind you looms the tower, ahead there’s brightly lit storefronts in the distance, with people milling around them. There’s not too many people out this late at night, so the bridge isn’t particularly busy. It’s a little too perfect.

How can you pass such an opportunity up? You hobble over to the edge, looking down at the water far below you. Yep, a fall from this height would definitely kill you. It’s perfect for what you need right now.

You struggle with getting your bag off your shoulders, breathing becoming laboured already. You take your two Pokéballs out of your pocket, setting them in front of your bag. Hopefully someone comes along relatively quickly to help your Pokémon out.

With sweaty palms, you grab hold of the metal posts of the bridge, rising into the sky to hold the bridge up. Taking a deep breath, you pull yourself up onto the railing that’s supposed to keep people from falling off. Too bad it does nothing for jumpers.

Tears roll down your face as you think of all the things you’ll never get to do. Places you’ll never see, people you’ll never get to talk to again. Your favourite song, the one you used to sing with Hop, plays in your head, and you think of him. You never got the chance to see him. It’s fine, he believes you’re dead, anyways, so this won’t hurt him. You aren’t breaking any promises, together forever has already been ruined.

Steeling yourself, you prepare to jump and finally end it all. “Hey, he’s going to jump, someone stop him!” You hear someone shout from behind you, making your decision for you. If you don’t jump now, someone’s going to stop you.

So you leap. You get this sickly feeling of weightlessness before gravity begins pulling you down. You see the water coming closer, faster and faster, as the lights reflected in the moving water become clearer. It’ll all be over soon.

What you don’t hear is your Pokéballs breaking open, but you do register the connection to your partners before you hit the water. They’re both immediately distressed, and Braviary throws himself over the edge, diving down to try to catch you before you die.

You can’t see him, turned towards the water, so when you’re suddenly grabbed, only inches from the water’s surface, you aren’t expecting it. Claws tear into you to try to stop your fall, only delaying it so both of you smack hard into the water.

It doesn’t kill you, but it still _hurts_ , and it winds you. You try to take a breath in, only breathing in water instead, and you try and fail to cough it out. Oh, maybe you’ll just drown instead. Much more painful than just hitting the water and dying immediately, but it’ll still get the job done.

Braviary is having none of it, though, and the resulting fuss has more people trying to help. Someone sends a Water-type into the water to try to save you and Braviary, and the Drednaw grabs you with its mouth, before it begins dragging you to shore.

You’re barely conscious by the time you hit the shoreline, and someone’s grabbing you from the Drednaw as soon as you’re there. A man begins performing CPR on you to try to get the water dislodged from your lungs, and someone else is helping your heavily injured Braviary. The fall really hurt him, but he’s taking this with pride, proud of himself for saving your life and paying back his debt to you.

The man manages to get you to cough up all the water, easing you onto your side to rest. You begin to openly sob there, in a ton of pain and grief. You’re feeling a lot of emotions right now, sadness over failing to die, anger over your recent treatment by Leon, frustration people had involved themselves to try to save you, but most of all, joy at being alive.

You don’t _want_ to die. Not yet. There’s still so much you want to achieve. How could you give it up so easily?

You know how, as you’d got lost in those dark thoughts, too caught up in them on your own to realize fully what you were doing. But now that you have both your Pokémon here with you again, you realize you don’t want to die.

A vehicle like an ambulance arrives soon after, and paramedics jump out the back to begin assessing the situation. They look you over, the wounds covering your abdomen from Braviary trying to quickly catch you with his claws soon disinfected and bandaged up. Another paramedic looks over Braviary, determining he’s got a broken wing from the fall.

You feel incredibly guilty in that moment, as it’s directly your fault Braviary got hurt from this. That hadn’t been your intention, but regardless, it happened. You reach over and stroke his head, and he accepts your apology through the bond. He’s just glad you’re ok.

A woman brings your bag and Espeon from the bridge, and you’re all loaded into the back of the vehicle to be properly assessed and treated at the Center.

Great, where they’re probably going to label you as crazy and try to put you on medications. _Just_ what you’ve always wanted! Not. You try not to let it bother you as the vehicle is driven off, towards the Center you assume, and you just try to rest by leaning against Braviary. Espeon curls up in your lap, still distressed you could just leave her like that. She doesn’t want to leave your side now, and she’s mad at you for abandoning her and leaving her with her nemesis, Braviary.

It brings a small smile out of you despite the circumstances. _I’m sorry, to both of you. I let myself get lost in my darkest thoughts, and spared no thought for either of you, or what would happen to you. I’m so sorry._ Espeon reluctantly accepts your apology, but she’s weary of it. She’s afraid of this happening again.

You can’t promise her it won’t, either, as much as you want to. This isn’t your first suicide attempt, and you’re certain it won’t be your last, either. You’re going to do your best to make sure this doesn’t happen again, but that’s the best you can promise her.

When you arrive at the Center, the staff help unload you. You’re put on a hospital bed and wheeled into a room, Braviary and Espeon taken by different staff to be treated for their own injuries and the state they’re in after battling all day. You know they’re in good hands, but you still hate being alone again. Espeon cries out as she’s taken away, scared she won’t ever see you again. You promise her she will, but it doesn’t make her feel any better.

You’re looked after by a doctor, who examines you for your injuries and asks you a ton of personal, invading questions about your depression. You answer as honestly as you can, as you _do_ want to be helped, but this all feels a bit much and you hate it.

“I’m going to put you on an antidepressant,” she announces at the end of the questions, and you sigh dramatically. You’d never managed to find one that worked for you back home, so you aren’t holding out hope they’ll find one that works here, either. It’s best to be pleasantly surprised if it _does_ work, than be disappointed yet another one failed.

“Ok,” you reply, letting her type up her notes before she prints off a prescription. She reads it off to you so you know what you’re being put on, but you honestly could care less so you don’t pay attention. They’re all the same to you, anyways. They’re going to mess with how you feel and give you weird side effects, and you’re just going to have to learn how to cope with those until someone decides it’s not working for you and switches it all up on you so you have to learn new coping methods _again._ “I’m more concerned about what the side effects will be.” You speak up once she’s done reading it off to you.

“Oh, you shouldn’t get any while on these. If you do, please talk to a doctor about it. The ones that come up most often are a worsening of suicidal thoughts, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, and anxiety. Those aren’t all of them, however, so if you start exhibiting symptoms you haven’t experienced before, please come back so we can try another one,” the doctor explains, and you nod along.

No side effects? You guess antidepressant science has gotten a lot farther here than it has back in your world. You’re not about to complain, however, as you’ll take it if it’ll help and won’t make things worse. “Thanks, I guess. When do I start these?” You ask, looking up from playing with your hands to make eye contact with her.

“Tonight, and you’ll take one every night.” She stands then, holding the prescription in her hand. “I’ll go get this filled and bring you the medication. Please wait here.” It doesn’t sound like a request, either, so you nod and let yourself remain laying down in the bed. It’d be stupid to try to leave now, anyways, as they have your Pokémon.

The doctor comes back with a pill bottle, and tucks it into your bag for you. She types up some more notes on her computer before wishing you well and leaving, letting you know you can leave when you get your Pokémon back.

Whenever that will be. You’re a little surprised they don’t want to keep you to look you over further, but maybe you convinced them you’re ok during the earlier questions. You lay back on the bed and close your eyes, letting sleep claim you while you wait to see your Pokémon again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so hard to write. I had to dig into some dark places to pull it off. Why is Leon such an ass? We'll just have to wait for the interlude to find that out. 
> 
> It's a shorter chapter, but an emotional one. There's only one more chapter written up now. Tomorrow will be the last post for a while. I haven't been writing any since November ended.


	17. Chapter Fourteen

By morning, you’ve got a plan. It’s not a very good one, but it’s a plan regardless. Braviary and Espeon have been returned to you once more, as you see Espeon curled up at your feet and Braviary nestled in the corner of the room. You yawn as you sit up, Espeon and Braviary waking up as you do.

Your plan involves trying to meet up with the few people you haven’t properly encountered yet. Piers, Marnie, Hop, and Sonia. Spikemuth is closer than Wedgehurst, so your plan is to head there first, even if you might get kicked out, because now you can use Leon’s suggestion of living there to your advantage. If the Chairman himself sent you, who really could fight kicking you out?

It’s not a great plan, as it’s pretty likely it won’t work, but you’re still going to try it anyways. You want desperately for something to go right, and you won’t know until you try, anyways. You’ve got nothing else to do with this time off from work. You don’t have _much_ of it left, however, so you might have to do what you were doing when you were first going to the Slumbering Weald. Go explore these places on your days off.

Feeling better, though still in a ton of pain, you wash up and change your bandages at the Center before heading out. You have to head back to Hammerlocke anyway, as there’s no train to Spikemuth, so you might as well recollect yourself there before you have to walk all the way to Spikemuth. Because you can’t fly on Braviary, he’s got a broken wing, and it’s your fault.

With a sigh, you get ready to head out. After collecting all your things, you return Braviary to his ball so _he_ doesn’t have to walk everywhere, and let Espeon sit on your shoulder as you go. You spend what’s left of your funds on a train ticket back to Hammerlocke, and you realize you’re going to have to go back to work soon regardless, as you need more money if you’re going to be going to Wedgehurst.

It’s mid-afternoon by the time you return to Hammerlocke. You head back to the Center you live at, greeting the staff who you haven’t seen in several days. You chat idly with them, catching them up on some of what’s happened to you over the last days. You leave out your suicide attempt, though you know it’s been added to your chart. They don’t need to know that, however, as no one you talk to is anyone who should be poking around your chart.

Conveniently leaving out the part about where you jumped off a bridge, you finish chatting while repacking for a smaller trip to Spikemuth. You’re still not sure how you’re going to get the attention of Marnie or Piers, maybe your voice? Gordie did mention how it sounded familiar to him. Perhaps Piers, with the good ear he has, will recognize your voice, or maybe your singing? You did used to sing with him quite often, back when you stayed with them.

You head out for Spikemuth, not wanting to waste daylight. It’s going to take you a while to get there, after all, and you’re still going to have to walk around the city, so you know you’re going to need plenty of breaks on your way over there. The walk is a few hours, so you won’t be getting there until night. You bring your tent, in case you need to camp outside of the city if they kick you out.

It’s a long trek with just you and Espeon. It’s not particularly one you want to make, but you do it out of determination. You’re going to find _something_ to live for, just to spite Leon. You’re now to the point of being livid over your treatment. How could a man tell someone who is suicidal that they don’t care? It boggles your mind, and angers you greatly. You don’t want to deal with Leon again if you don’t have to, as he’s clearly changed in the two years since ‘you’ have last seen him.

If you’ve ever met him at all. Maybe this is further proof you’re _not_ the former Champion Kieran, as Leon is nothing like the version of him you built in your head. Others are, but you were far closer to Leon than, say, Nessa. It’s strange Leon is so different, so the explanation that makes the most sense is the one where you’ve never really known Leon at all.

With a deep breath, you leave the Center, making your long journey from the west side of the city to the east, to leave, and then to Spikemuth even further east. It’d be nice if this city had any sort of form of public transit, but Hammerlocke does not, so you’re forced to walk, the old fashioned way, all through the city. At least with the GPS on your phone, you’re more capable of making it there with the easiest and quickest route.

Heading out, it takes you much longer than you anticipated to make it to Spikemuth. You take way more breaks than you planned, as you’re in worse condition than you originally took account for. With the deep wounds in your abdomen, walking is much more a chore than normal, and it’s completely dark by the time you make it to the looming block of a city in the distance.

The front doors are open this time, at least, so you hope they’ll be friendlier to outsiders this time. No one greets you or anything, but the air inside certainly doesn’t feel as hostile. You walk with Espeon close to your side, leaning against decrepit buildings as you go to keep your strength up.

You vaguely remember the way to the Gym this time, but you still end up quite turned around. This time, however, when you ask people for pointers in the right direction, they actually point you in the right direction, and without too much attitude at that. You wonder if the way you were treated last time had something to do with the fact that the door was closed, and maybe outsiders weren’t supposed to be in at that time.

The Gym is empty when you reach it, and no one can point you in the direction of Marnie or Piers. “They’ll find you, if they want to,” is what you’re told when you press about it, so you groan with frustration as you resign yourself to staying in the Center here for a couple days while you try to search for Piers and Marnie. Or rather, hopefully have them search you out.

You check into the Center for the night, tired and drained from a day of walking far too much. You crash into bed, not even bothering with your bandages, as you’re far too tired. You’ll deal with it in the morning.

Which is fine, they look fine in the morning still. You take extra care in washing them out and redressing them, however, just in case. After snagging some food – the food here is even worse than in Hammerlocke – you make your way out of the Center to maybe try and find Marnie or Piers.

You’re not sure how to attract their attention. With music, maybe? But you can’t play any instruments. Perhaps you’ll just have to use your voice, which makes you feel nervous and gross. You don’t want to be walking around singing, drawing further attention to yourself, but you may have to.

What songs would they even know? You don’t remember any of Piers’ songs, and you’re not sure what songs _they_ might remember than you sang for them. With a deep sigh, you pull your old device out, the one from home, and press shuffle. You’ll just sing whatever comes on that you know the words to, and maybe things will work out.

It’s awkward and uncomfortable to be doing this, but you make yourself do it. Your voice cracks nervously, and you shake as you walk around. People occasionally give you glances, but with the amount of other music going on, no one really pays it that much mind. It’s not such a strange occurrence to the people here. Many people walk around playing music of some kind. It’s a very musically driven city.

You walk around a bit, and occasionally stop to take breaks against buildings or to sit on anything that looks remotely close to something you can sit on. Lots of empty freight boxes around that work great for this, fortunately. As you go about your day, however, it becomes increasingly apparent this isn’t really working.

You walk by the Gym, but it’s empty today, too. You linger there for a bit, taking a break and sitting on a bench near the arena to sing to your music, but no one comes by that you recognize. By the end of the day, your voice is sore and you’re disheartened. You head back to the Center in silence, too downtrodden about your lack of success in finding either Marnie or Piers today.

No one has any better answers for you today on how to find them, either. It’s always the same. “They’ll find you if they want to.” No hints, no clues, no ways to get them to notice you. You’re frustrated, hungry, sore, and tired from a long day. You call it early as you retire in the Center, eating the crappy, stale food the cafeteria serves with a grimace.

You frown as you fall asleep that night, unsure how to increase your odds of success in the days coming. In the morning, you get a nurse to check out your injuries to see how they’re healing, and she helps you redress them. “They look like they’re healing alright, but they could be healing faster if you allowed yourself to rest,” she suggests, and you purse your lips. You don’t have the luxury of resting, unfortunately. You’ve only got a few days here, and you have to make the most of them.

Your voice is too sore to continue singing today, so you instead blast your music and hope that maybe a song will be recognizable to Piers or Marnie. You’re aware you’re grasping at straws at this point, but you seriously can’t think of any other options available to you.

People compliment the music you’re listening to, asking you where it’s from or who wrote it. You realize you don’t have good answers to these questions, making things up the best you can, which means you start going out of your way to avoid people to avoid the awkward questions which you have no answers to.

Day two is just as unsuccessful as day one was, and you find yourself wallowing outside Spikemuth’s back entrance as the sun begins to set. You continue blasting your music outside, crying softly to yourself about your failure.

Why did you think this might work? Clearly, you are a fool, as this isn’t getting you anywhere. You’re just wasting time here, doing nothing productive. You kick at the soggy ground, watching your tears fall and mingle with the wet dirt below. It must’ve rained today, or perhaps last night, but either way, you missed it.

You stare up at the darkening sky, looking over to Hammerlocke in the far distance as the sun sets between the wing-like structures that make up the dark city. It looks beautiful, and it oddly makes you miss home. Maybe it’s the music, and the way you used to watch the sun set from your window each night, setting over the downtown core far across the river of the tower of a building you lived in. It had been beautiful then, but this is prettier now, and perhaps it’s because you’re experiencing this one right now.

A particularly sad song with some heavy guitar in it comes on, and you mouth along to the words, unable to sing even still. The grass rustles, and out pops a purple Pokémon, crawling on all four legs. As you get a better look at it, you recognize it to be a Toxtricity, and it comes right up to you.

You can sense through your abilities that it likes your music, which is why it’s coming right up to you. When you bond with her, she crawls right up next to you and sits beside you like a human being. She begins bopping to the music, strumming the protrusions on her chest along with the music. It brings a smile to your face, to see how much she enjoys your music. Espeon doesn’t mind her presence, either, calmly watching the wild Pokémon with mild interest.

You let her continue as long as she likes, leaving your music to play random song after punk-rock song for her. She really likes the vibe of the songs in this playlist, and she wants to keep listening even as the sun goes down and you grow tired. Eventually, the music stops as your device dies, and she wails in horror.

_The battery died, it’s ok. I’ll have to charge it before I can play it more,_ you explain to her, and she lights up.

_I can charge it!_ She offers. You’re worried she might break it, and she senses your hesitation. _I will be very careful with it. I don’t want to break the pretty music._ She seems very determined to be careful, so you slowly reach out and reluctantly hand her the device. If she breaks it, you’ll never have your music again. It seems like a risky chance to take, but she assures you she won’t overcharge it or blow up the battery. _I promise I can control myself._

You watch as she holds the device in her hands and concentrates. The device lights up with the charging signal, and you sigh loudly with relief. You watch as it slowly charges, and you remind her to be patient. _It takes a couple of hours to charge normally, but there should come a point where the battery will have enough in it that it can turn back on. Then we can listen to music as you slowly charge it._ She nods at the directions, and you wait with her until the battery is high enough for the device to turn back on.

When it does, you put the music back on for her, and she smiles while she continues to concentrate on charging the device. She’s only charging it as fast as the battery drains to be extra cautions, and you appreciate her care. She really likes the music, after all, and doesn’t want to do anything that might risk her never hearing it again.

_Would you like to come with me, then?_ You offer to her, extending your hand. She looks at it curiously for a moment, before extending her own hand to shake yours. It shocks you slightly, and you jolt from the contact, but it doesn’t exactly hurt. She gives your hand a quick shake and smiles at you, showing her teeth. _Great, because I need to go to bed, so I need to go back inside Spikemuth and go back to the Center._

She gets the hint to follow you, getting up off the boxes when you do. She chirps as she walks slowly beside you, letting the music continue playing from the device held carefully in her hands. She doesn’t mind going slow, as it lets her focus on the music and on charging the fragile piece of electronics.

You eventually get to the Center, and ask if you can have a Pokéball to contain her in. Someone gives you a spare, and you take the old device back from her as you let her know what’s about to happen when you hit her with the ball. She nods when she’s ready, and you gently lob the ball at her. It hits her square in her yellow chest, and she disappears inside the ball.

It rolls around briefly before the light clicks green on the front, and you lean over to pick it up and let her back out. She trills happily at being released again, and you bring her with you back to your room. There, you’re able to introduce her to Braviary as you let him out of his ball, and you’re relieved all your Pokémon get along. Adding a third member to your team makes you feel a bit better about things, but now you have another mouth to feed that you can’t exactly afford to.

You get ready for bed while your Pokémon entertain themselves, and head to bed for the night shortly after. Toxtricity curls up with Braviary in the corner while Espeon snoozes with you on the bed, and you all get some good sleep.

You sleep in the next day, so you can be out later in the day. Maybe the reason you haven’t seen Piers and Marnie is because they’re not around when you’re up. After all, you wake up at a rather normal time, and if what you ‘remember’ about Piers and Marnie is true, they do not. They appreciate their beauty sleep, and sleeping in late.

So it’s mid-afternoon by the time you set out for day three. You’ve already decided this will be your final day of searching, no matter what happens, as you have to get back to work, and you want some time to rest to prepare for that. As long as you keep wasting time like this, and not getting anywhere, you feel like you could be better using your time elsewhere.

So you wander around town with Toxtricity and Espeon, Braviary safe in his ball. Your new partner likes playing along to your music, so it gives you another excuse to loudly blast it as you wander. Your voice is in better condition today, too, so you give singing a try every once in a while. You wander near the Gym, only to find a band practicing in it at the current moment. It’s not a band that holds Piers or Marnie, as you can’t see them, so you don’t hang around long.

The whole search for the two of them is infuriating. You may have to take up one of the Gym Leaders and get their help, as you’re getting nowhere yourself. You hate bugging them more than you already have, but it’s really the only choice you’ve got with how things are going. You’re getting discouraged with your lack of results, and this doesn’t feel like it’s the right way to get their attention, anyways.

At least you get to spend the day getting to know your partner better. She’s got quite a bit of energy, and she’s very head strong. She gets her mind on things and can’t get past them. If she sees something she particularly likes, or hears something, it’s near impossible to tear her away from it, as she’ll want to spend time enjoying whatever it is. It’s kind of cute.

One of the things she focuses a lot on is your desire to find these people. You have to catch her up on your current life of homelessness, and how you want a better life for yourself, so you’re trying to prove if you’re really the former Champion or not. You’re down to your last option of proof – finding someone who once knew you and talking with them to see if they recognize you.

So far, none of the people you’ve talked with have. Gordie was the closest, which is why you’re here in Spikemuth using your voice. With all this information, Toxtricity begins to understand why these people are important, and puts a little more effort into helping you, instead of being so easily distracted.

No matter how much you wander, however, you find no hint or clue of Marnie or Piers. They must not want to find you, either, as everyone has said they would come find you if they wanted to. And they haven’t, so maybe it’s just not meant to be. You feel like they might recognize you if you got to spend time with them, but it’s still possible you’re not a person they could be recognizing. After all, maybe you’re not really her.

It’s not like it particularly matters for this trip, however, as by the end of the day, you’re no closer to finding them than you were at the start. Another day wasted, and you retire to the Center once more, with the promise to head out back to Hammerlocke tomorrow after some rest. You’ve been doing a lot of walking, after all, and your leg is really sore.

You lie awake for a bit that night, thinking about what to do from here. You still have Hop and Sonia to try, and you’ve not fully given up on trying Marnie and Piers. You just have to go about it from a different angle. You’ll ask Raihan or Kabu for help with that, you decide, as Raihan is close by and Kabu was particularly helpful to you.

Morning comes and you’re no more rested than the day before, so you sleep in late to get the sleep you need to travel for the day. It’s not that you mind, as you don’t mind travelling in the dark, but when you reach Hammerlocke, it _is_ dark. It’s late enough to go straight to the Center, your home, but first you have to cross the entire city. At night. Without Braviary.

It involves heavy use of the GPS from your phone, and a lot of leaning on Toxtricity because you’re tired and sore, but you eventually find your home. As you retire in the Center, sleep claims you much quicker this time. You’re able to spend the next few days resting up before you go back to work, and making plans about how to contact Marnie, Piers, Hop, and Sonia.

Going back to work is a pain, and your boss is no kinder to you than before. He’s at least a little pleased your name was circulating in the news about your Braviary Man story, and that you mentioned the café you worked at for him, just like he asked. At least there’s no news about your suicide attempt here. That’s the last thing you want to be talking about at work.

You feel taken advantage of at work, as your boss continues to schedule you whenever he feels like it, calling you in to battle random strong Trainers when no one else on staff can take them and denying you use of your cane like you need. You hate it here so much, and it hurts you’re so dependent on the paycheck you make here. You have to let yourself put up with a lot, as your boss suggests letting you go whenever you start to try to enforce some boundaries for yourself.

It takes some time, but you’re able to save up enough money to comfortably travel to Wedgehurst for a few days. The main factor in how long it takes is the dates your paychecks fall on. There’s one problem remaining in your way of getting to Wedgehurst, however, and that’s your job. Your boss won’t give you the time off. He relies too heavily on your good battling skills to avoid having to give out free treats to the customers who win.

You feel like you should be treated a lot better if you’re so important, but your boss unfortunately knows how unhire-able you are. He knows he can take advantage of you because you have no other options.

Eventually, you just take the time off yourself. If you lose your job, you lose your job. You’ll just have to find another. You at least have enough to survive for a couple weeks before you’ll struggle to get by for basic necessities. You’ll have to go back to relying more on the Center when that happens, but at least you won’t die of exposure or starvation or anything.

Taking off one day, you purchase a ticket to Wedgehurst and hop on the train. Braviary and Toxtricity have to remain in their balls, but Espeon sits beside you on the way there. You begin trying to think of what to say to Hop and Sonia when you finally do get to see them.

It shouldn’t be too hard, no? They’re both Professors – well, one is a Professor, and the other is her assistant, but that means you should be able to see them pretty easily as a prospective Trainer, right? You’re really hoping that’s the case. You think if you go in asking for a Pokédex, you’ll be allowed in and you’ll get your chance to talk to them.

The train pulls into Wedgehurst, and you disembark, letting your Pokémon out of their balls when you get outside. Braviary has recovered by now, so you can get on his back and fly to the laboratory. Toxtricity is too big to also ride on his back, so in her ball she goes, back to resting within until you can let her out again.

Braviary lands in front of the laboratory and you hop of his back, ruffling his feathers as you do. Espeon hops off with you, and you release Toxtricity again. With a deep breath, filling yourself with as much courage as you can, you knock on the front door of the lab.

A woman with black hair who you don’t recognize answers. “Hello? How can I help you?” She sounds impatient, and she holds a clipboard in her arms.

“Uh.” Well you weren’t expecting _her_ to answer, so you’re not exactly sure what to say now. “Are Hop or Sonia in?” You ask instead, trying to peak past her.

“Oh, you’re one of those crazy stalker fans, aren’t you?” She growls accusatorily. You blink slowly, confused by her words.

“I’m sorry, what?” You reply, unsure what exactly she’s on about with that.

“You, showing up here looking for Hop, you’re another one of those awful fans! Well I won’t let you in! Get out of here before I call the police!” Whoa, this went from 0 to 100 way too fast for you to follow.

“Slow down, I’m just here for a Pokédex,” you placate, holding up your hands defensively.

“That’s what they all say! I don’t buy it for a second! You’re here to harass Hop, who doesn’t deserve this at all! Get away! Go! Shoo!” She begins swatting at you with her clipboard, swinging it like a big fan like the gust from it will send you away.

Well this isn’t how you pictured this to go at all. Now what? “Alright, I’m going, but I’m seriously just here for a Pokédex!” You insist, turning and leaving when she glares at you.

“Just get lost already!” She yells, and you turn and leave. What now, though?

With a frustrated sigh, you head back the way you came for a ways, stopping when you see a bench to sit on. Taking a seat, you decide to think on how to tackle this issue. How do you get past the woman at the door? Knocking again won’t work, as she’ll _really_ think you’re a stalker if you keep going back there over and over.

No, you need to catch Sonia or Hop outside of the lab. But how to do that? You figure you can wait around, and maybe you’ll see them leave eventually, or something. You’re going to be waiting a while, you figure, and you’ve got to be paying attention.

Your Pokémon volunteer to help, knowing what Sonia and Hop look like through the bond you share with them. They’ll also keep a lookout for anyone who looks like those two walking by, so you don’t have to feel so stressed about keeping constantly vigilant.

Which proves hard to do for hours on end, even as you shift around the park to avoid from getting sore. Your Pokémon laze about as well, though you do manage to get some training in with Toxtricity. Learning what she knows for moves and figuring out how to use her in battle are valuable skills, even if you’ll never get to be a Trainer at this rate.

By the time the sun is setting, you still haven’t seen either of them. You wait until it’s fully dark, when you realize it’ll be harder to see them, if you even do. You decide to call it for the day, hoping you can be out there early enough tomorrow to maybe catch them on their way in instead. So you check in at the Center, curling into one of the beds there with your Pokémon as you hope tomorrow goes better than today did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New partner time! I love Toxtricity, they're a really cool Pokemon. It may be because I fucking love music of all kinds, so any musical Pokemon is instantly on my likes list. 
> 
> Did I give Hop crazy fans? Did I really? Or is there more going on there with that assistant? 
> 
> This is the last chapter for a while. I'm about...halfway done the story at this point? I hope you all enjoyed so far! I'll get back to updating this likely at the same rate I was updating A Certain Darkness. So, like, whenever I get motivation lol. 
> 
> In case I don't update anything before Christmas, happy holidays! I hope everyone stays safe!


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